It was a while ago, but I remember when it arrived in the mail.

It was the fall of 2000.

This is weird. Who wrote this?

Ah, Loretta Lynn! The Queen of Country Music!

We learned of Loretta Lynn's death and it immediately sent me scrambling for the oddest piece of country music memorabilia I own. I found it in its original envelope.

It's a handwritten note from Loretta Lynn herself, written to me - the program director of the country music radio station in Atlantic City and South Jersey.

I never spoke to Loretta Lynn, I never saw her perform in person. My only communication with her was this card I received. A card where she kind of scolded me for not playing her new music at the time.

The note reads as follows:

"Hi, Joe! Hope you can read this. I'm in the bus, and I just left New York, doing all the TV.  I was told this station would not play my record. I said if they are country, why not? All I got back was in 3 to 4 months things would be changed. I say no, I need mine played now. Write and let me no [sic] the problem. Love you, Loretta."

I never answered her note, and no, we didn't play her music. Not in 2000. She was talking about some of her new music, not her classics which we did play on our weekly Country Oldies show.

Loretta Lynn was country music royalty, and no matter what I answered with, it probably would not have been good enough.

Thanks, Loretta, for the great music, and for a personal note I'll hang onto.

PICTURES: Look Inside Loretta Lynn's Luxurious Nashville Home

Loretta Lynn's luxurious former home outside of Nashville is for sale, and pictures show a property that's a perfect mix of classy and cozy. The country queen's 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 3,409-square-foot home in a rural community outside of Nashville is listed for sale for $799,000, and that price includes a residence that is "finished to a T," according to its listing. The beautiful home sits on more than five acres of rural land directly on the river, offering direct access for canoeing and kayaking. The rural property is just two minutes from I-40, offering an easy commute into Nashville, and it also offers easy access to schools, stores, dining options and more amenities that are just minutes away.

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