Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

27 Years Ago, Wrongful Death Lawsuit Prompted This Country Music Legend’s Family to Exhume Her Body

Tammy Wynette died in her sleep in April 1998, but her four daughters suspected foul play.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

On April 6, 1998, country icon Tammy Wynette died in her sleep at 55 years old. She had been plagued by health issues her entire life, culminating in a blood clot in her lung. Her doctor’s original statement claimed that this was what caused her death.

In the year that followed, however, Wynette’s four daughters speculated foul play. They filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit in April 1999, naming Wynette’s doctor, Wallis Marsh, her husband George Richey, and the prescription drug delivery company Care Solutions.

Their suspicions began after they were denied the inheritance their mother left in her will. Control of Wynette’s estate was given to Richey and his brother Carl. Additionally, the information that Wynette........

© Vice