Country singer Loretta Lynn in hospital with pneumonia (Reuters)

(Reuters) – Country music singer Loretta Lynn, who grew up poor in Kentucky's coal-mining country before rising to fame, has canceled two performances after being diagnosed with pneumonia, a statement on her website said on Saturday.

"Loretta regretfully must cancel her shows ... for this weekend, due to illness," the statement said of the 76-year-old music icon.

The Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Kentucky, said on its website the singer had been hospitalized, and that her performance would be rescheduled. A spokesman for Lynn was not immediately available for comment.

"Doctors have diagnosed her as the beginning stages pneumonia, and (she) will continue to need rest. Loretta is doing well and is disappointed but feels confident she will be ready for upcoming November dates," the statement on the singer's web site said.

Lynn had been due to perform on Saturday in Ashland followed by a performance on Sunday in Durham, North Carolina. She has upcoming performances scheduled next month in Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and North Carolina.

Lynn, who performs hits including "If You're Not Gone Too Long" and "Don't Come Home A Drinkin'", has released 70 albums and charted 16 No. 1 hits in a career spanning five decades.

She has won two Grammys and written several books, including "Coal Miner's Daughter," which was made into a movie that earned Sissy Spacek an Oscar for her performance as the singer.

(Reporting by Cynthia Johnston. Editing by Peter Bohan)

View the original article here

Singer Loretta Lynn hospitalized with pneumonia (AP)

ASHLAND, Ky. – Country music singer Loretta Lynn was hospitalized over the weekend with the early stages of pneumonia, according to a representative of the performer.

The 76-year-old Lynn was scheduled to perform Saturday at the Performing Arts Center in Ashland, Ky. and Sunday in Durham, N.C., but the Kentucky center issued a news release saying she is in the hospital and would be unable to perform. The Kentucky theater says the show will be rescheduled.

Loretta Lynn Enterprises posted a statement on her website Saturday night that confirmed the cancellations due to illness.

"Doctors have diagnosed her as the beginning stages pneumonia, and will continue to need rest. Loretta is doing well and is disappointed but feels confident she will be ready for upcoming November dates."

Calls by The Associated Press to representatives of Lynn were not immediately returned Saturday.

In August, Lynn canceled shows because of knee surgery. Before that, she returned to live performances with a show at the Grand Ole Opry after being forced to cancel shows in Ohio and Connecticut because she was hospitalized for heat exhaustion.

The daughter of a Kentucky coal miner, Lynn had a string of hits starting in the 1960s — "Coal Miner's Daughter," "You Ain't Woman Enough," "The Pill," and "One's on the Way." Many of her songs reflected her pride in her humble background and her experiences as a wife and mother. Her 1977 autobiography was made into a movie that brought an Oscar for Sissy Spacek's portrayal of Lynn. More recently, Lynn marked 50 years in country music and won two Grammy awards in 2005 for her album "Van Lear Rose."

View the original article here