'70s Country Music Icon Dies at 83: 'A True Legend With a Voice To Match' Sheli FrankJuly 21, 2025 at 1:43 AM Photo by Jackie Loubriel/Penske Media via Getty Images '70s Country Music Icon Dies at 83: 'A True Legend With a Voice To Match' originally appeared on Parade.
- - - '70s Country Music Icon Dies at 83: 'A True Legend With a Voice To Match'
Sheli FrankJuly 21, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Photo by Jackie Loubriel/Penske Media via Getty Images
'70s Country Music Icon Dies at 83: 'A True Legend With a Voice To Match' originally appeared on Parade.
It all started in the 1940s, on a humble farm outside of Monroe City, Missouri, where a starry-eyed little girl and her six siblings clustered around the radio, listening to the Grand 'Ole Opry.
In 1946, at just 5 years old, that little girl would make her musical debut. Not long after, she was singing in a country music trio with her sisters, their supportive father taking them from gig to gig. Before long, she would be striking out on her own.
She danced, she acted, she wrote songs and played several instruments. Her talent was uncontested.
It was, nevertheless, a long road, one she followed faithfully, emerging at the end a true country music legend.
Country Icon Helen Cornelius, 83, died Friday morning, according to an announcement made by her Official Fan Page. Fans poured into the comments section with memories and tributes to the beloved artist. "A true legend with a voice to match," wrote one fan. "I Loved [sic .] her singing. It is sad we are losing all of our best country singers," another commented.
Cornelius is perhaps best remembered for her duets with Jim Ed Brown in the 1970s and '80s, including their chart topping hit, "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You", which won them the CMA Award for Vocal Duo of the Year in 1977.
Before Cornelius partnered up with Brown, though, she was working her way up on Nashville's music row. She first turned heads in the country music capital for her songwriting prowess, writing hits for big names like Reba McEntire and The Oak Ride Boys, according to her official biography. Her voice gained her further recognition, and in 1975, she signed her first major recording contract with RCA Records.
"I feel so blessed to be able to make a living doing something I love so much," she once said, according to her official biography.
Two years after Cornelius and Brown won the CMA award, they were nominated for a Grammy award for their song, "If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight." For four years, her star continued to rise on Brown's radio show. Cornelius also landed a regular gig on the TV show Nashville On The Road. She performed in various guest TV spots, including on the TV show Dolly and, in 1980, struck out on her own, beginning a solo career with her band Southern Spirit.
In 1991, Cornelius opened a dinner theater in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where she performed every night for five years. She still found time, however, to tour with country legends like Conway Twitty and The Statler Brothers, and continued touring into the early 2000s. Her career was hard earned, but Cornelius regretted nothing. "Belief in oneself is probably the most important ingredient to success that there is, because if you believe in yourself, then nothing is gonna knock you down," she told Bill Littleton of Performance Magazine. "I'm ready to fly."
'70s Country Music Icon Dies at 83: 'A True Legend With a Voice To Match' first appeared on Parade on Jul 21, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
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