Melba Montgomery has passed away at the age of 86 after “a long battle with dementia.”
Her daughter Melissa Solomon Barrett confirmed her death on Wednesday in a statement posted on Facebook.
“It is with great sadness that we announce our family has lost our mother, Melba Montgomery Solomon,” she began.
“She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, sister to my uncle, sister-in-law to my aunts, and aunt to my cousins.”
The late singer, who once sang duets with George Jones, Gene Pitney, and Charlie Louvin, “fought a long battle with dementia.”
“We know mom has been waiting to hold dad for over 10 years,” the singer’s daughter continued, referring to her late father Jack Solomon who Melba remained married to until his death in 2014 at the age of 71.
“We will provide visitation and funeral arrangements as we learn more in the coming days. Thank you for loving our mom as much as we have. She was an incredibly talented, kind, and generous woman.”
The note—accompanied by a family photo as well as an old and new solo—was signed off by Melissa and Montgomery’s daughters Tara Solomon Capps, Jackie Solomon Chancey, and her niece Diane Holt.
Melba began singing in church before forming a trio with her two brothers. She launched her music career at the age of 20, where the family trio won a Nashville talent contest.
The country singer sang in a touring band from 1958 to 1962 and also recorded several singles for a small label, per People Magazine.
She got her first big break after George Jones discovered her music and brought it to his label, United Artists, where they produced several singles together.
Her 1963 single We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds became her first radio hit and reached No.3 on the charts.
Melba’s 1974 track No Charge then earned her biggest solo hit.
