Tammy Wynnette, country music's "Heroine of Heartbreak" was born in 1942 in Itawamba County, Mississippi. Her real name was Virginia Wynette Pugh.
She recorded a string of hits and received two Emmy awards, plus many other honors including a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Her songs reflected her turbulent life, which included five marriages, abuse, and even kidnapping.
She grew up on her grandparents' farm, married before she graduated high school, had three children, lived in a log cabin without plumbing or electricity, taught herself to play guitar, worked as a waitress and beautician before achieving success as an entertainer, and continued to enchant her audience until her death at the age of 55.