Carly Pearce played an unforgettable voice memo she once received from Loretta Lynn while paying tribute to the late legend on the historic Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville, Tennessee.

Pearce, a lifelong fan of Lynn’s, took the stage as part of a tribute show honoring the “Coal Miner’s Daughter” artist. The lineup also included Rhonda Vincent, Martina McBride, Ashley McBryde, Crystal Gayle, Twitty and Lynn (a duo made up of Conway Twitty’s grandson, Tre Twitty, and Lynn’s granddaughter, Tayla Lynn), and Emmy Russell. It was all part of the Opry 100 Honors series as part of the Opry’s milestone centennial anniversary in 2025. The series nods to iconic artist who shaped the genre and the Opry over the last 100 years, per a press release issued Tuesday (May 13). Other Opry 100 Honors shows include tributes to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and Charlie Daniels.

Pearce had so much respect for her fellow Kentucky-born artist that she included a ballad on her 2021 studio record, 29: Written in Stone, titled “Dear Miss Loretta,” serving as a heartfelt letter to one of the genre’s most beloved legends. The track features another Kentucky-born icon, Patty Loveless, who is also Lynn’s cousin, Pearce noted during a recent interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

“I ended up singing it [‘Dear Miss Loretta’] one night randomly on the Grand Ole Opry stage, and she heard it,” Pearce said on the Opry stage during the Opry 100 show. “And it was right before she passed, and I have this voice memo. I never got to meet her, but I wanna play this for you because I feel like this captures the essence of the wonderful woman that we are celebrating tonight.”

Pearce played the voice memo she received from Lynn, who told the hummingbird star: “Hi Carly. This is Loretta, honey. I’m layin’ here in bed just takin’ it easy, and I’m fixin’ to get up and wash my face, maybe, comb my hair. I don’t know. I ain’t got no place to go, have I? But anyway, I love your song. Thank you, sweetheart. I love you, honey. Come and see me sometime.”

Pearce shared a photo from her performance on the first slide of an Instagram post, followed by a clip of her sharing the voice memo on the second slide. Pearce — who previously shared the voice memo shortly after Lynn’s passing — said she’s “loved Loretta all my life and it was such an honor to get to celebrate her legacy last night on the [Opry] stage. One of the greatest gifts I have ever received is that Loretta got to hear the song I wrote about her before she passed away. She sent me this beautiful voice text that I got to share with the Opry last night. Thank you for your continued influence, Loretta. ♥️”

Lynn “passed away peacefully…in her sleep at home at her beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills, (Tennessee),” the late country legend’s family confirmed in a statement on October 4, 2022. She was 90. Lynn was born on April 14, 1932, in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. She is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Todd Matthews