Country legend Loretta Lynn suffered a stroke on May 5, and as she is still recovering, she was unable to attend the preview party celebrating her new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville on Wednesday, but her daughter, Patsy Lynn Russell, was on hand to attend the event with a little something from her mom.
Russell brought along the two wedding bands given to Lynn by her late husband, Oliver (Doolittle) Lynn, telling PEOPLE about the rings’ significance.
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“It took her so long to get one, I think he felt she deserved two,” Russell said of the bands. “She took them off her finger and gave them to me today โฆ It’s kind of like she gets to go through [the exhibit] with me.”
The 53-year-old also spoke about how her mom is doing, noting that Lynn is planning on visiting the exhibit herself. Russell added that her mom is singing around the house again and is thinking about the release of her next album, which was postponed from August due to her stroke.
Lynn is currently undergoing physical and occupational therapy and is working on regaining her balance.
“The difference between then and now is night and day,” said Russell’s 29-year-old grandson, Anthony Brutto. “It’s amazing to see the will and fire she has inside โฆ Nothing can get her down, and nothing will get her down. โฆ She’s still witty. She’s still very sharp. She’s still very funny. When I went over there last week she said she’s writing songs and playing the guitar, so it’s really awesome to get to see that.”
While Lynn herself couldn’t attend Wednesday’s event, three of her musical “granddaughters” โ Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark and Margo Price โ were there to help honor their hero.
“To me, it’s amazing that she’s a real person,” Clark said. “I know that sounds crazy, but you know, you see the movies and you see somebody in concert, and then you meet them, and she’s so nice and down to earth. She really paved the way, not just for musicians, but specifically for women to really be able to say what they want to say and to speak a truth in their music.”
Photo Credit: Instagram / @lorettalynnofficial