NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Wilma Lee Cooper, who teamed with husband Stoney Cooper as a top country duo for some three decades and earned the title "The First Lady of Bluegrass," is dead. She was 90.
She died Tuesday of natural causes at her home in Sweetwater, Tenn., the Grand Ole Opry announced Friday.
She and her husband began recording in the late 1940s, then performed regularly on the Opry from 1957 until his death in 1977. She continued as a solo singer on the show until 2001.
Bing: More on Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper
With her husband, she had such hits as "Cheated Too," "There's a Big Wheel" and "Come Walk With Me." The two were members of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
Wilma Lee was known for her big voice and boundless enthusiasm.
In 1974, the Smithsonian Institution honored her as "The First Lady of Bluegrass."
She had a stroke at age 80 in 2001, leaving her voice and speech affected. After that, she lived in Sweetwater with a caretaker.
