K.T. Oslin — a groundbreaking country artist and member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame — died Monday at age 78, reports The Tennessean.
Oslin, who rose to fame with the 1987 hit "80s Ladies," had been battling Parkinson's disease in recent years. Her death was confirmed by the Country Music Association.
Oslin had been staying in an assisted living facility since 2016. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, but "it is unclear whether this contributed to her death on Monday morning," Oermann said.
Oslin was 45 when the self-penned "80s Ladies" made her a country star. The song — about three women who've lived several lifetimes before reaching middle age — was an inspired introduction. But as Oslin told The Tennessean in 1987, "it's indeed not my life story — it's everybody's life story."
"We were the girls of the '50s," she sang. "Stoned rock and rollers in the '60s'.
A string of country hits followed over the next three years, including the chart-toppers "Do Ya," "I'll Always Come Back," "Hold Me" and "Come Next Monday." In 1988, she became the first female songwriter to win the CMA Award for Song of the Year.
K.T. Oslin performs during Joe Galante's roast at the Grand Ole Opry House on Feb. 10, 2015.
But ahead of country stardom, the Arkansas native had already enjoyed a colorful 20-year career in show business. Raised in Houston, Texas, Oslin made some her earliest music in a folk trio that also included future songwriting legend Guy Clark.
After majoring in drama at Lon Morris College, she joined the road company of "Hello Dolly!" in 1966, and moved to New York to join the show's Broadway production. In the '70s she also had roles in "Promises Promises," "West Side Story" and "Darling of the Day," and sang TV commercial jingles.
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