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| The Tennessee House Of Representatives stood for a moment of silent tribute today to the four Grand Ole Opry stars killed Tuesday night in a plane crash near Camden |
| Patsy Cline Plane Crash |
| March 6, 1963 : Camden Tennessee |
| * News Reports * |
| 4 OPRY STARS DIE IN CRASH Plane Debris Yields Bodies At Camden Camden - The remains of four country music personalities, including three nationally known Grand Ole Opry stars, were found this morning in the scattered bits of a private plane which crashed in rugges woodlands near here. The victims were Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Randy Hughes, believed to be the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft. The wreckage was discovered about 6 a.m. after a night-long search by Highway Patrol, Civil Defense and local officers. Parts of the yellow plane and bits of human flesh were scattered over a 60-yard area a mile off Highway 70 about three miles west of Camden. The wreckage was between the highway and a ranger tower, which had served as a base of operations for searchers. Civil Defense official Dean Brewer, asked whether all four bodies had been located, replied: "There's not enough to count . . . They're all in small pieces."The plane left Dyersburg about 6 p.m. Tuesday for a flight to Nashville. The entertainers had been in Kansas City for a benefit performance for the late Cactus Jack Call, a disc jockey. Sam Webb, whose farm is near the dense woodlands said he saw a plane circling his home about 7 p.m. and that it was "revving up its motor. . . going fast and then slow, like it was attempting to climb." Webb said the plane left his sight and then he heard something "like it struck the top of some trees." The weather in the area at the time of the accident was termed "extremely turbulent." Investigators of the Civil Aeronautics Board were enroute to the crash scene to make a detailed probe of the wreckage in an effort to learn the cause of the smashup. Meanwhile in another phase of the investigation, Dr. J.S. Butterworth, CAB medical examiner, and Dr. A. T. Hix, Benton County Medical Examiner were examining the remains of the four victims. The wreckage was located by searchers using field glasses in the fire tower and almost simultaneously by ground searchers Lewis and Claude Bradford, brothers who farm near the scene, and W. J. Hollingsworth of Sandy River Road. The plane apparently struck a large tree before hitting the ground. Pieces of the aircraft were hanging in the tree and a three-foot hole marked the spot where the main part of the fuselage struck the ground. The terrain in the area is so rugged that some searchers returning during the night were covered with bruises, scratches and blood and according to one observer, "looked like they had been in a bear fight." The wreck scene is about five miles west of the Tennessee River. After the wreckage was located, about a 100 cars lined Old Stage Road, about 150 yards from the scene. Benton County Sheriff Loye Furr described the area as "full of woods, hills, hollows and swamps. Refueling Stop The single-engine plane stopped at Dyersburg to refuel and the Dyersburg Airport manager, Bill Braese, said the occupants "had a cup of coffee." |
| No Space On Plane 'God On My Side,' Says Billy Walker "God was on my side," Billy Walker said today. "Else how can you explain my being here -- and Patsy, Copas and Hawk and Randy gone." Walker, a Columbia recording artist and member of the Grand Ole Opry, was one of the entertainers who appeared on the benefit show the past weekend in Kansas City. "No," said the tall, hefty Texan. "I was not scheduled to ride in the plane. Actually there wasn't enough room for me in the four-seater. So I went out and back on a commercial flight. There was some kidding about my size and how I weighed too much to get in the small ship. Ironic isn't it that the final appearances of Patsy, Hawk, Copas and Randy would be for a benefit for the widow of a disc jockey (Cactus Jack Call)," commented Walker who lives on Jasperson Drive in Madison (a suburb of Nashville). Walker's recent recent record hits have been "Charlie's Shoes," "Willie the Weeper" and "Funny How Time Slips Away". "Sorta prophetic titles, aren't they?" he asked. Tday I'm fortunate just to be Billy Walker. "This terrible tragedy - and my nearness to it - will haunt me a long, long time." |
| The four victims of the plane crash Tuesday night near Camden represented a multi-million dollars worth of show business talent: Patsy Cline, 29, has been described as one of the finest girl singers in the world. Cowboy Copas, 49, was a long established country and western star, one of the most popular performers in his field. Hawkshaw Hawkins, 43, was known for his versatility. He functioned as a manager of talent (one of his talents was Patsy Cline). He was an able guitarist, and as a sideline, sold stocks and bonds for Jack M. Bass and Sons, Nashville brokerage firm.Governor Frank Clement commented: "With the deaths of Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Randy Hughes the entertainment world suffers a great professional loss and Tennessee suffers a great personal loss. They were typical of the serious-minded, hard working professional people dedicated to country music artistry. I counted them among my close friends and extend my deep and sincere sympathy to their families." All were regular member of WSM's Grand Ole Opry. |
| A poster from a New Years Day show, a year before Patsy Cline died ******************** Grand Ole Opry Presents * Appearing Live on Stage Patsy Cline Hank Williams Loretta Lynn Marty Robbins Johnny Horton Hank Thompson ********************* Ryman Auditorium Nashville Tennessee January 1, 1953 7:00 P.M. - Midnight Admission $2.00 Free Parking |
| * Patsy Cline * Hawkshaw Hawkins * Cowboy Copas * Randy Hughes * |
| Newspaper images and text from the Nashville Banner Newspaper |
