Loretta Lynn, the country music legend who boasts over 50 studio albums, was hospitalised over the weekend and diagnosed with the early stages of pneumonia. The illness caused her to miss two scheduled shows in Ashland, Kentucky and Durham, North Carolina, reports the Washington Post.
Though aged 76, Lynn has shown few signs of letting up on her music career despite her last studio album - her 54th - 'Van Lear Rose' being released in 2004. Originally making her breakthrough in 1967 with the Gold selling album 'Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind),' last year a tribute album was put together in honour of the star, featuring Paramore, Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood among others. This year however, Lynn pulled out of shows in Ohio and Connecticut with heat exhaustion and received surgery on her knees in August, forcing her to pull out of several further concerts. A statement from Loretta Lynn Enterprises suggests she is in a stable condition; it read "Doctors have diagnosed her as the beginning stages pneumonia, and will continue to need rest. Loretta is doing well and is disappointed but feels confident she will be ready for upcoming November dates".
'Van Lear Rose' was produced by The White Stripes star Jack White, who also added guitar work and backing vocals. The record debuted at No. 24 on the Billboard 200, representing the most successful crossover music album of her career.