Rest in Peace, Country Singer/Songwriter K.T. Oslin (“80’s Ladies”): 1942-2020

K.T. Oslin, the country music singer/songwriter whose 1987 single “80’s Ladies” made her the first female songwriter to win the CMA Award for Song of the Year, has passed away at the age of 78, it was announced on Monday.

Rolling Stone confirmed the news, noting that Oslin was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week and was already dealing with Parkinson’s disease.

K.T. Oslin, one of country music’s most interesting and eloquent voices of the 1980s, has died. https://t.co/PnEIdD9omd

— CMT (@CMT) December 21, 2020

K.T. Oslin maintained a unique place in country music history. Her breakthrough 1987 album 80’s Ladies was also her first, released when she was 45 years old.

The title track became a big hit for Oslin, as did the album’s other singles, “Do Ya” and “I’ll Always Come Back.”

A bit more about K.T. Oslin’s career and legacy, per CMT’s piece on her passing:

The Academy of Country Music presented Oslin with four trophies: 1987’s Top New Female Vocalist and Video of the Year for “80’s Ladies,” and 1988’s Top Female Vocalist and Album of the Year for This Woman. That album, and her debut album (80’s Ladies) were certified platinum. Her 1990 album, Love in a Small Town, reached gold. Always a compelling songwriter, her late career albums like My Roots are Showing… and Live Close By, Visit Often, are some of her most satisfying works.

“It’s nice that anybody remembers because it’s been a long, long time,” Oslin told CMT.com in 2011, prior to giving a rare performance in Nashville. “I’d like to be remembered as someone who stuck to their guns and did it the way they thought. I tried to do my very best every time out of the chute.”