On March 5, 1963, she was killed in a plane crash along with country musicians Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and manager Randy Hughes, during a flight from Kansas City, Missouri, back to Nashville.

According to WINC's radio disc jockey Joltin' Jim McCoy, Cline appeared in the station's waiting room one day and asked to audition.

[27] The show included country stars Jimmy Dean, Roy Clark, George Hamilton IV and Billy Grammer,[16] and was filmed in Washington D.C. and Arlington County, Virginia.

The Washington Star magazine praised her stage presence, commenting, "She creates the moods through movement of her hands and body and by the lilt of her voice, reaching way down deep in her soul to bring forth the melody.

Robert Oermann and Mary Bufwack of Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music called the label's choice of material "mediocre".

[40] In 1956, Cline received a call to perform on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, a national television show she had auditioned for several months prior.

Friend Dottie West heard about the accident via the radio and rushed to the scene, helping to remove pieces of broken glass from Cline's hair.

Patsy's dramatic volume control, stretched-note effects, sobs, pauses and unique ways of holding back, then bursting into full-throated phrases also breathed new life into country chestnuts like "San Antonio Rose", "Blue Moon of Kentucky", and "Half as Much".

[60] Richie Unterberger of AllMusic commented that her voice "sounded richer, more confident, and more mature, with ageless wise and vulnerable qualities that have enabled her records to maintain their appeal with subsequent generations.

She was joined by Opry stars Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones, Jim Reeves, Bill Monroe, Marty Robbins, and Faron Young.

Dottie West, June Carter Cash, and Loretta Lynn recalled Cline telling them she felt a sense of impending doom and did not expect to live much longer.

Hensley maintained a closet full of her daughter's stage costumes, including a sequined dress Cline wore while performing in Las Vegas in 1962.

"[97] The present-day American female blues, swing, and rock and roll singer, songwriter and record producer Casey Hensley is a distant relation of Cline's.

According to Robert Oermann and Mary Bufwack, Cline and Dick's marriage was "fueled by alcohol, argument, passion, jealousy, success, tears, and laughter.

[106] Cline, who had spent the night at the Town House Motor Hotel, was unable to fly out the day after the concert because Fairfax Airport was fogged in.

West asked Patsy to ride in the car with her and her husband, Bill, back to Nashville, an 8-hour drive, but Cline refused, saying: "Don't worry about me, Hoss.

On March 5, she called her mother from the motel and checked out at 12:30 p.m., going the short distance to the airport and boarding a Piper PA-24 Comanche plane, aircraft registration number N7000P.

The Dyersburg, Tennessee, airfield manager suggested they stay the night because of high winds and inclement weather, offering them free rooms and meals.

Over four CDs, arranged chronologically, the listener gets treated to a story in the development and maturation of a cultural icon who was at least, in terms of her gift, the equal of her legend.

Writer Rob Sheffield called Cline "a badass cowgirl drama queen belts some of the torchiest, weepiest country songs ever, hitting high notes that make you sob into your margarita.

Deming commented, "While it's a wise approach to show how her turbulent marriage paralleled her crossover to Countrypolitan ballads, the melodrama tends to overshadow the celebrity story by relegating her rise to stardom to the background.

[144] Jack Hurst of the Chicago Tribune remarked that "Her rich, powerful voice, obviously influenced by that of pop's Kay Starr, has continued and perhaps even grown in popularity over the decades.

Husband Charlie Dick recounted that Cline's producer Owen Bradley told him to leave a recording session because she was very emotional and he didn't want to disturb the mood.

Oh the difference a song makes, because in the end the material she recorded between 1955 and 1960 – all of which is collected on these two discs – was simply too weak for Cline to turn into anything resembling gold, even with her obvious vocal skills.

[36] Stephen M. Desuner of Pitchfork explained that Cline has been an identifiable factor with the Nashville Sound: "She essentially rewrote their songs simply by singing them, elevating their words and wringing every one of their rhymes for maximum dramatic potential.

[155][156] Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide said that Cline had an "aggression" and "boisterous attitude" that gained her the respect of her male counterparts.

Wolff explained, "She swaggered her way past stereotypes and other forces of resistance, showing the men in charge – and the public in general – that women were more than capable of singing about such hard subjects as divorce and drinking as well as love and understanding.

Lucinda Williams commented on Cline's vocal talent in helping define her legacy, stating, "Even though her style is considered country, her delivery is more like a classic pop singer... That's what set her apart from Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette.

lang,[166] Linda Ronstadt,[167] Trisha Yearwood,[168] Sara Evans,[169] Dottie West,[84] Kacey Musgraves,[42] Margo Price,[42] Cyndi Lauper,[170] Trixie Mattel[171] and Brandi Carlile.

The bell tower cost thirty five thousand dollars and was partially funded by Cline's friends Jan Howard and Loretta Lynn.