in Franklin, KY. Kitty and Johnnie were married 74 years before Johnnie's death in 2011. Death Kitty Wells died on July 16, 2012, in Madison, Tennessee, from complications of a stroke. She was 92. She is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville, alongside her husband. Achievements and honors First solo female country artist to have a number 1 record on the charts First female country artist to sell one million records First woman to headline a major tour First woman to headline a syndicated television variety show Voted top country female artist for 14 consecutive years Holds record for single at number 2 on the charts with "Makin' Believe" for 15 weeks Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee (1976) NARAS Governor's Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Recording Industry (1981) Academy of Country Music's Pioneer Award (1985) NARAS Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1991) The Music City News Living Legend Award (1993) Native American Music Hall of Fame Inductee (2002) National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress for "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" (2008) In 2019, Kitty Wells was honored in Brazil by the channel canal Pouco Recurso News. The grandson of the singer John Sturdivant Jr participated in the tribute to his grandmother, with a video of thanks. Discography Top Ten Singles References External links Kitty Wells at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; accessed December 19, 2016. Kitty Wells obituary, Grammy.com; accessed September 10, 2014. Kitty Wells Interview NAMM Oral History Library, July 24, 2004. Kitty Wells recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. 1919 births 2012 deaths American women country singers American country singer-songwriters American members of the Churches of Christ Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Decca Records artists Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Grand Ole Opry members Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Country musicians from Tennessee 21st-century American women