All About Loretta Lynn’s 26 Grandchildren — Including American Idol Contestant Emmy Russell

Loretta Lynn left behind a legacy not only in the music industry, but also with her large family.

The country icon died on October 4, 2022, and is survived by her four children, as well as 25 grandchildren (one of her grandchildren predeceased her in 2016). With her husband, Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn, she was the mother of Betty Sue, who died in 2013, Jack Benny, who died in 1984, Clara Marie, Ernest Ray, and twins Peggy Jean and Patsy Eileen.

According to her website, her grandchildren are Loretta Lynn Massey, Audrey Dryer, Jenny Whitworth, Jeremy Jack Lynn, Lori Lynn Smith, Ethan Lyell, Elizabeth Braun, Alexandria McCorry, Levi Lynn, Jason Lynn, Ernest Ray Lynn Jr., Tayla Lynn, Alex Lynn, David Greer, Wesley Lynn, Jasyntha Connelly, Lucca Marchetti, Natalie Rapp, Anthony Brutto, Megan Horkins, Katherine Condya, David Russell, Emmy Rose Russell, Jennafer Russell and Melody Russell.

It looks like one of her granddaughters, Emmy Russell, will follow in her grandmother’s footsteps in a musical career. In February 2024, Emmy appeared on American Idol where she broke into the Hollywood circuit after auditioning in front of judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.

From celebrating the holidays with Grandma to her own singing career, here’s everything you need to know about Loretta Lynn’s grandchildren.

She became a grandmother at the age of 34

Loretta Lynn in a throwback photo with her daughter Betty Sue. Loretta Lynn’s Instagram

Loretta welcomed her first daughter, Betty Sue Lynn, when she was just 16, and became a grandmother for the first time when Betty gave birth to her first child at 18. At the time, Loretta’s youngest children, twins Peggy and Patsy, were only 2 years old.

Betty named her daughter after her mother, Loretta Lynn Massey. Betty later had another daughter, Audrey Dryer, and the two outlived her after she died in 2013 at age 64 from complications from emphysema.

She was proud of her children’s parents

Loretta Lynn with daughter Patsy Lynn Russell and granddaughter Emmy Russell and country singer Alison Krauss.

Emmy Russell’s Instagram

Loretta always held her children in high esteem and often posted sweet tributes to them on Instagram and her website, but one of her proudest moments was seeing what kind of parents her own children became.

In one such dedication on her website, titled “Two Are Better Than One,” Loretta wrote about how Peggy and Patsy became not only her “best friends,” but amazing mothers themselves.

“They are both amazing moms with the best kids ever,” she wrote. “I guess more than anything I’m proud of the moms they are and how fiercely they love their own children.”

Her family gathered at her ranch every holiday

Loretta Lynn and her children Clara Marie Lynn, Ernest Ray Lynn, Peggy Jean Lynn and Patsy Lynn hold photos of Loretta’s deceased husband and children.

Loretta Lynn’s Instagram

While her children were growing up, Loretta was at the height of her fame and often touring or performing. However, no matter where she was, the “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl” singer always tried to celebrate the holidays with her family.

“I would try to come home for the holidays, but sometimes I was late,” she told PEOPLE in December 2016. “Just close your eyes and think about your own family — just think about being away from them during the holidays. It was difficult for me. Sometimes I would cry.”

Regardless of the times she struggled to get home, Loretta made it an annual tradition to host her large family at her ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. The family enjoyed a night of prayers and gifts on Christmas Eve and Memaw – as her grandchildren affectionately call her – the famous chicken and dumplings.

“Family means everything to me,” she told PEOPLE. But with all the younger Lynns around — including more than 20 great-grandchildren and multiple great-great-grandchildren — she joked, “I just put earplugs in!”

Her grandson, Jeffrey Allen Lynn, died in 2016

Loretta Lynn’s late son Jack Benny Lynn in a throwback photo. Loretta Lynn’s Instagram

Loretta lost two of her six children before she died — Betty Sue in 2013 and her son Jack Benny in 1984. In 2016, tragedy struck her family again when her oldest grandson, Jeffrey Allen Lynn, died.

He was Jack’s oldest child and was 47 when he died suddenly. Loretta updated her fans on her website, writing that he worked on her ranch before his death and was the father of three children.

Her granddaughter, Tayla Lynn, has a career in music

Loretta Lynn with her granddaughter Tayla Lynn.

Loretta Lynn’s Instagram

The musical genes ran strong in Loretta’s family and were passed down to her granddaughter, Tayla Lynn, whose father is Ernest Ray Lynn. Tayla grew close to her grandmother, accompanying her on tour buses and backstage at concerts.

“I would crawl into the back of the bus with her and spend day after day with her, snuggling and sharing a bed, so I always felt very connected and close to Memawa,” she said in an interview with The Ties That Bind at Us in September 2020

Eventually, Tayla began performing with her grandmother, who set her on the path to becoming a star herself.

“She just taught me everything I knew in those years,” she told the newspaper. “I tried out different songs, and we figured out what worked for me and what didn’t, and then I went to some record companies.”

However, throughout her career, Tayla struggled with alcohol and opioid addiction — something her grandmother would not have tolerated.

“The way she handled it was I wasn’t allowed to go on the trip,” Tayla told PEOPLE in July 2021. “Going on the trip with her was like heaven for me, being on her bus and having dinner with her and sitting with her in the back after the shows to talk about the show. It was my favorite thing in the world. But she wouldn’t let that get me into any trouble.”

By 2004, Tayla got sober for the first time, and in 2010, she became part of the country group Stealing Angels. But after she got married and gave birth to a son, the group split up and Tayla ended her sobriety.

Eventually, Tayla worked to get sober again in 2013 and has remained sober ever since. As of 2021, she lived with her husband and children on her grandmother’s ranch in Hurricane Mills and continues to tour with Tre Twitty, the grandson of country star Conway Twitty.

“To go from being arrested in the projects and weighing 82 lbs. and selling my body for drugs to now making an album and having people respect me and standing on stage with my boys on my lap and looking at me is just amazing,” she told PEOPLE. “If I wasn’t sober, I wouldn’t be here.”

Her granddaughter, Emmy Russell, auditioned for American Idol

Emmy Russell auditions for American Idol in an episode that aired in February 2024.

Eric McCandless/Disney

Another of Loretta’s granddaughters is also making a name for herself. Patsy’s daughter, Emmy Russell, made her TV debut in February 2024 when she auditioned for American Idol. Before taking the stage in front of the judges, Emmy stated that she wanted to create her own path while honoring her grandmother.

“She’s one of the greatest country singers of all time, but to me she’s just a grandma,” she said. “I think I’m a little shy and I think it’s because I want to own my voice. That’s why I want to challenge myself and come here.”

She performed her original song, “Skinny,” about her struggles with weight and eating disorders, on the piano for the judges, who were taken aback by her skill.

“You’re an A+ songwriter. So is your grandmother. You have a gift,” Perry said after her performance. “I don’t think you should compare yourself to what grandma was. You’re completely different. You shouldn’t put so much pressure on yourself.”

Emmy managed to get into the Hollywood circle after multiple “yes” from the judges.

However, American Idol it wasn’t the first time Emmy took the stage in a public performance. In 2023, she teamed up with Willie Nelson’s son Lucas for a duet at a CMT-televised memorial concert for her grandmother. Her performance earned her a CMT Music Award nomination.

“I’m not trying to please anyone but myself,” she said Tennessean in February 2024. “But if people find themselves and their journey in my songs, that will allow me to make this my work for the rest of my life.”

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Source: HIS Education