# Country superstar Porter Wagoner dead at 80 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2007, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433 "2007-10-29T12:33:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/1 "2007-10-29T12:33:50Z")
[Cite](http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1572922/20071028/wagoner_porter.jhtml). ☹ ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_No\_Saint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/977dab/32.png) [@I\_m\_No\_Saint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_No_Saint)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/2 "2007-10-29T14:12:09Z")
That sucks. I’ll always remember going to my granny’s house and watching him on the Grand Ol’ Opry. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/3 "2007-10-29T16:00:47Z")
One of the local drive-time DJs was saying that years ago, she’d hang out with the after-Opry crowd. Her dad was a big fan of Porter’s, and he made a special tape just for them, which was sweet. Although he told the family that “life on the Opry is so hectic. Sing a song - go backstage and try and sober Anna Marie (the DJ) up. Sing another song and try to sober AM up” she said he was a hoot and very kind to everyone. StG ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/4 "2007-10-30T00:53:20Z")
Being a country music/bluegrass fan since the late 1950’s, I knew his name, and even watched his syndicated show much later when I was in Richmond, Va. I remember well seeing Dolly Parton as a young singer on his show. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/5 "2007-10-30T01:49:09Z")
Aw man. I just read a piece not too long ago about how he was really wanting to step back into the limelight and start performing again. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/6 "2007-10-30T01:50:54Z")
[QUOTE=StGermain] One of the local drive-time DJs was saying that years ago, she’d hang out with the after-Opry crowd. Her dad was a big fan of Porter’s, and he made a special tape just for them, which was sweet. Although he told the family that “life on the Opry is so hectic. Sing a song - go backstage and try and sober Anna Marie (the DJ) up. Sing another song and try to sober AM up” she said he was a hoot and very kind to everyone. StG [/QUOTE] …except Dolly Parton. There was some real ugliness in that relationship. Some of the interviews with PW after he and Dolly parted ways are hair-raising. He did a lot of very mean, angry venting…often on national TV. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/7 "2007-10-30T01:54:34Z")
My dad and stepmother are/were fans and watch reruns(?) of a show hosted by him on some channel they get through their satellite. Sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/8 "2007-10-30T02:15:10Z")
[QUOTE=Aesiron] My dad and stepmother are/were fans and watch reruns(?) of a show hosted by him on some channel they get through their satellite. Sucks. [/QUOTE] Wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/9 "2007-10-30T02:23:48Z")
What? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/10 "2007-10-30T02:40:13Z")
[QUOTE=Aesiron] What? [/QUOTE] Never mind. I had an attack of Failure to Comprehend. I thought you were saying Porter Waggoner sucks. You were saying that it sucks he died. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/11 "2007-10-30T03:43:35Z")
**Ogre** - I’m not a country music fan, but I know it was an acrimonious breakup. But I know Dolly continued to see him, and was there with him when he died. It was a complicated relationship. StG ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/12 "2007-10-30T04:08:56Z")
_Green Green Grass of Home_ has a special place in my heart. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/13 "2007-10-30T04:43:54Z")
[QUOTE=StGermain] **Ogre** - I’m not a country music fan, but I know it was an acrimonious breakup. But I know Dolly continued to see him, and was there with him when he died. It was a complicated relationship. StG [/QUOTE] Yeah, I believe they both grew out of the acrimony. It helped when they were out of the national spotlight. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/14 "2007-10-30T12:33:01Z")
[QUOTE=StGermain] **Ogre** - I’m not a country music fan, but I know it was an acrimonious breakup. But I know Dolly continued to see him, and was there with him when he died. It was a complicated relationship. StG [/QUOTE] The breakup inspired the song “I Will Always Love You.” In My Humble Opinion, a great song until Whitney got a hold of it. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/15 "2007-10-30T17:14:17Z")
I’m so glad he was being embraced by a younger audience. I remember watching his show when I was a kid; my dad was a big fan. We even bought the laundry soap (Breeze? Duz?) that had the dish towels in the box (they were a sponsor), along with Carter’s Little Pills - lol He also had a killer collection of Nudie & Manuel the Rodeo Tailor suits. Marty Stuart was a big fan & supporter. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-superstar-porter-wagoner-dead-at-80/424433/16 "2007-10-30T17:23:42Z")
[QUOTE=StGermain] **Ogre** - I’m not a country music fan, but I know it was an acrimonious breakup. But I know Dolly continued to see him, and was there with him when he died. It was a complicated relationship. StG [/QUOTE] She also helped him out _a lot_ when he got into a tax/divorce settlement/bad investments related financial pinch in recent years, buying his catalog for more than it was worth and then selling it back for less than it was worth when he recovered somewhat. And, as I mentioned in some post this very week before he died, he sings a few lines with her on her cut of _Those Were the Days_, recorded a couple of years ago. Part of her act at one of the concerts I went to involved a Kenny Rogers puppet. As part of the shtick the puppet asked her “do you know what it’s like to have someone’s hand up under your clothes all night?” and Dolly’s scripted response was “Are you kiddin’? I worked with Porter Waggoner for seven years!” Even all these years later it got a huge laugh. Dolly has always said that she loved the speculation on whether or not they were having an affair because she credits the PR and rumors with part of her rise to the top (though talent’s how she stayed there, obviously). I wonder what’s going to happen to all of his rhinestone suits. Some museum somewhere needs to display them.