Country Singer Jody Miller Dies at 80

Country music star Jody Miller, who appeared on TV shows such as Hee Haw and Pop! Goes the Country, has died. She was 80.

According to Deadline, Miller passed away on Thursday, October 6, of Parkinson’s complications in Blanchard, Oklahoma. The singer’s longtime rep Jennifer McMullen confirmed the death in a statement, saying, “Jody Miller’s talent cannot be overstated. She had this innate, God-given ability to interpret and communicate with the most beautiful tones and inflection. She made it look and sound so easy that it sometimes takes a moment to realize the greatness of what you are hearing.”

Born on November 29, 1941, in Phoenix, Arizona, Miller began her career in the early 1960s as a folk/pop singer, working in the Los Angeles area and appearing on Tom Paxton’s television series. She was signed to Capitol Records in 1962, where she went on to record several pop hits, including “He Walks Like a Man” and “Queen of the House,” the latter earning her a Grammy for Best Country & Western Vocal Performance – Female.

Miller moved to Epic Records in 1970 and continued to record hit tracks that landed on the Top 10 country music charts, including “He’s So Fine,” “Baby I’m Yours,” “There’s a Party Goin’ On,” and “Darling, You Can Always Come Back Home.”

She appeared as herself on numerous television shows throughout the 60s and 70s, including Shindig!, Hollywood a Go Go, The Jimmy Dean Show, Where the Action Is, The Mike Douglas Show, Hee Haw, Pop! Goes the Country, and Sing Country. She also had a small acting role in the 1965 series Hollywood Discotheque.

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Miller semi-retired in the 1980s as she focused on the Oklahoma ranch she owned with her husband, Monty Brooks. However, she later transitioned into Christian music, releasing several albums in that genre. And in 1999, she was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame.