Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 6, 1993 TAG: 9306060076
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SPRINGFIELD, MO. LENGTH: Medium
His wife, Dee Henry, was with him at Cox Medical Center-South when he died of complications from surgery after a blood vessel ruptured in his stomach.
Twitty collapsed on his tour bus during a rest stop in southwest Missouri. He was on the way home to Hendersonville, Tenn., from a performance Friday night in Branson.
"I've just been sitting here crying," said Sandy Brokaw, Twitty's press representative. "I was in awe of the man."
Twitty was born Sept. 1, 1933, as Harold Lloyd Jenkins, named after the silent movie star. He changed his name in 1957 by borrowing from Conway, Ark., and Twitty, Texas.
His career took off with the name change. His first hit was "It's Only Make Believe," which soared to No. 1 on the pop charts in 1958.
He recorded more than 40 No. 1 hits, including "Hello Darlin'," "Tight-Fittin' Jeans" and "Linda On My Mind."
Mel Tillis, who said Twitty and his wife were at Tillis' Branson theater Thursday night, called Twitty a great singer.
"He didn't do a lot of talking on stage, he said he let his music do his talking," Tillis said. "He was a song's best friend, because he could really sing."
Twitty and Loretta Lynn won the Country Music Association's Vocal Duo of the Year award in 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975. They won a Grammy for their 1971 duet, "After The Fire Is Gone."
"I've not only lost a great singing partner but also a great friend," Lynn said.
by CNB