Country singer Jody Miller dies aged 80 after complications from Parkinson’s disease-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Jody Miller battled Parkinson’s disease for seven years (Picture: Redferns/Getty/Jody Miller/Facebook)

Country star Jody Miller has died aged 80 after suffering complications linked to Parkinson’s disease.

The Grammy-winning Queen of the House singer died in her hometown of Blanchard, Oklahoma on Thursday (October 6) after a seven-year battle with the disease.

It’s said the singer, hailed as a pioneer for fellow female performers, was surrounded by loved ones on her deathbed.

In a statement, her longtime representative Jennifer McMullen said: ‘Jody Miller’s talent cannot be overstated. She had this innate, God-given ability to interpret and communicate with the most beautiful tones and inflection.

‘She made it look and sound so easy that it sometimes takes a moment to realize the greatness of what you are hearing. But she was just as authentic and exceptional in her own life as she was on stage and on record.’

Jody received a Grammy for her 1965 hit Queen of the House, which reached number five on the country chart and 12th on the Billboard Hot 100.

Jody Miller has died aged 80 (Picture: David Redfern/Redferns)

She is a member of the Country Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame (Picture: Jody Miller/Facebook)

She had more than 24 songs on the country charts, made gospel records later in her life and was inducted into The Country Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame.

At the 1966 Grammys, where she was also nominated for best new artist, Jody won best country and western vocal performance – female for Queen of the House, and she later said of her career: ‘I started out as a folk singer… and what got me into country music, actually, was that Grammy.’

Born Myrna Joy Miller on November 29, 1941, she knew she wanted to be a singer from the age of 10.

She is known for her classic hit Queen of the House (Picture: GAB Archive/Redferns)

She won a Grammy in 1965 (Picture: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

She stayed married to her husband Monty Brooks for 52 years until his death in 2014 and said of her life: ‘It’s a Cinderella story… I got in LA and I had been married six months. It was in the summer of ’62, and by that next year, I had a contract with Capitol.’

After taking the stage name Jody Miller, she toured Hawaii with The Beach Boys and played on TV shows alongside the Rolling Stones.

During the 2010s, she formed the musical act Jody Miller and Three Generations with her daughter Robin Brooks Sullivan and two grandchildren, with her last album Wayfaring Stranger released in 2020.

Her former representative Jim Halsey added in a statement: ‘Not only was she a great talent, but she was one of the nicest people I have ever worked with.

‘She had a fantastic voice and a wonderful career. You are loved, Jody, and I am so honored to have represented you.’

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