orig. Virginia Wynette Pugh
born May 5, 1942, Itawamba county, Miss., U.S.
died April 6, 1998, Nashville, Tenn.
U.S. country music singer.
Her father, a musician, died when she was an infant, and her mother left her to be raised by grandparents. She worked as a beautician before appearing on Porter Wagoner's country music television show. In 196768 she had hits with "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad," "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," and her anthem, "Stand by Your Man." She was married to George Jones (196975), with whom she recorded many duet hits; despite their divorce, they continued to collaborate on recordings, including her last album, One (1996). She recorded 20 number-one country hits and 50 albums.