Country singer Dottie West died Wednesday morning of injuries suffered in a car wreck last week on the way to performing at the Grand Ole Opry, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The 58-year-old singer-songwriter, who won country music's first Grammy for a female vocalist died at 9:43 a.m. CDT, said Barbara Cramer, spokeswoman for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.West was scheduled to undergo surgery this morning to repair her liver, which was severely damaged in Friday's car accident.
West was probably best known for the hit song "Country Sunshine" and duets with Kenny Rogers.
Her career spanned more than 25 years and yielded solo hits like "Here Comes My Baby," the 1964 hit that won the first Grammy for country music performance by a female vocalist.
Her late 1970s duets with Rogers produced a series of hits, including "Every Time Two Fools Collide" and "What Are We Doin' in Love."
However, West's financial fortunes tumbled and she was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1990 with more than $1 million in debts.
The IRS held an auction of West's belongings during the annual Country Music Fan Fair in Summer 1991. West attended, signed autographs and bid on some of the items.
West was born Oct. 11, 1932, the eldest of 10 children in a poor farm family in McMinnville, outside Nashville.