Loretta Lynn: Struggling Country Superstar Forced To Cancel Shows

Friends and family are fearing the worst as country star Loretta Lynn has been forced to postpone shows after suffering injuries in a fall. The upcoming surgery will be minor, but it's the latest setback in a series of health woes — as the beloved superstar tries to work through major illnesses to provide for her family!

The singer had to cancel a a Labor Day weekend show in Tennessee, and at least three more September bookings. But this year's busy concert tour has already been full of horrific moments for Loretta's close circle of friends. On April 18 — just four days after Loretta turned 84 — Lynn startled fans at a sold-out concert in Indiana where she “struggled at times, forgetting lyrics and running out of steam,” according to one music critic.

During the show, backup singer and daughter Patsy even knelt beside Loretta’s chair to help her recall the lyrics! “Loretta just doesn’t seem like she’s all there any longer,” a friend confided to The National ENQUIRER. The “Coal Miner’s Daughter” songbird has had trouble recalling songs during per- formances for years, but now her lapses are awful, sources said.

“What’s worse, many times she just seems in a fog,” spilled the pal. “She’s on stage, and she appears to forget where she is.” At the Indiana performance, Loretta had to be “escorted to the stage by her daughter,” and then, “had a seat after her opening number and remained there until her closing,” said the critic.

As The ENQUIRER previously reported, Loretta also has glaucoma and has suffered two near-fatal cases of pneumonia. During one, doctors had to bring her back from the dead on the operating table. On another occasion, the frail star tumbled into a dresser at home and broke two ribs!

Loretta also suffered a harrowing heartbreak after the death of her beloved grandson Jeffrey Allen Lynn — who suffered a heart attack on June 6 at the age of 47. “Loretta has experienced so many tragedies in her family, but this one and at her age is too much for her to bear,” a family friend told The ENQUIRER.

Jeffrey was the son of Loretta’s oldest boy, Jack Benny Lynn, who tragically drowned at age 34 near the family’s Tennessee estate in 1984. “Jeffrey was Loretta’s favorite grandson," said the insider, "the one that kept the light of her departed son alive!”

Tragically, the aged singer is determined to keep working so her kin can pull paychecks. Son Ernie, twin daughters Patsy and Peggy and one of her granddaughters are all in Loretta’s band! The extended family helps the aging star by stepping up to give her a break during concerts, but they're also on Loretta's very large payroll. “She’s singing for her whole family’s supper,” reported a friend.