American Masters

But her ascent is abruptly cut short. Patsy is in a car accident and spends a month in the hospital recovering. The car wreck for most anyone else would have been a career-ender. She could have died. She had terrible scarring. She had chronic pain after that, and that would have been the point at which most people would've said, "o.k., I've kinda - I've had enough." After the accident, she came into my office and she really looked a little rough because it had been a tough accident. She had a injury somewhere around her forehead. Steadfast, determined, and still on crutches, she appears on the Opry stage to reassure her fans. The good part was, she had a hit, and it was really going great. And she came and stuck her head in the door and said, "I don't ever want to record again." She said, "I just want to enjoy this one for the rest of my life." And that's what she told me - that she only did that song because I liked it.