Grammy award-winning artiste, K.T. Oslin, passed away on Monday at the age of 78.
The American singer was confirmed dead by her friend, Robert K. Oermann, a Journalist.
According to Oermann. the artiste was diagnosed of the corona virus a week before her death and had also been struggling with Parkinson’s disease as well.
It has not yet been determined which of the two caused her death.
Oslin, famous for her 1987 hit “80’s Ladies,” is the first female songwriter to win the CMA Award (Country Music Association) for Song of the Year.
She achieved the historical feat in 1988.
Country Music Association (CMA) CEO, Sarah Trahern, hailed K.T. Oslin as a “strong influence” for women.
“K.T. Oslin had one of the most soulful voices in country music and was a strong influence for women with her hit ’80’s Ladies,’ Trahern said.
“I was fortunate to work with K.T. on a number of television shows in the late ’90s. She was always gracious to the crews and up-and-coming talent performing alongside her. She truly had one of the best voices in the history of our format. Our thoughts go out to her loved ones at this difficult time,” she went on.
The American, born in Arkansas, was aged 45 when she released her chart-topping debut country album, “80’s Ladies” in 1987.
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As per a report in Rollingstone.com, Oslin’s achievement was exceptional back then for a woman in country music and nearly impossible to replicate today.
Along with the CMA Awards, the title track won the best female country vocal performance at the 1988 Grammys.
Oslin went on to bag two more Grammy awards for the1989 hit Number One, “Hold Me”.
Interestingly, Oslin started her career as a folk musician and Broadway star before veering into country music.
In the early 90s, Oslin quit touring on a regular basis and moved into the movie industry, acting in TV series and movies such as, “The Thing Called Love” and “Murder So Sweet”.
Oslin was inducted into the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.
The American’s last album, “Simply”, came in 2015.