Patti Page Dies At 85: ‘Tennessee Waltz’ Singer Passes Away On New Year’s Day
Patti Page, the singer behind hits like “Tennessee Waltz” and “The Doggie In The Window,” passed away at a retirement home on New Year’s Day.
According to the NY Times, Page was living at the Seacrest Village Retirement Communities in Encinitas, California at the time of her death.
Page’s version of “The Tennessee Waltz” would spend 13 weeks at the top of Billboard’s Most-Played in Juke Boxes chart in 1950 and 1951. In 1965, it was made the official song of Tennessee and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
Despite her success, Page said in an interview in 1999 that she never intended to become a singer.
Page said:
“I was a kid from Oklahoma who never wanted to be a singer, but was told I could sing … And things snowballed.”
The peak of Page’s career came before the Grammy awards but the iconic singer eventually took home an award in 1999. Page won for traditional pop vocal performance for “Live at Carnegie Hall — The 50th Anniversary Concert.”
Delaware Online reports that Page was scheduled to be given a lifetime achievement award from at the Grammy Awards this year in February.
Patti Page – Tennessee Waltz
Patti Page – How Much Is That Doggie In The Window
Page’s celebrity diminished during her later years, but her impact on music never faded. In 2008, Jack White recorded a cover of Page’s 1952 hit “Conquest.” White told USA Today: “I love how bold the song is, and simple; it’s kind of irresistible.”
Are you a fan of Patti Page?
The amount of times I have lost myself singing a Patti Page song cannot be counted.
— Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) January 2, 2013
