Ronnie Milsap is mourning the loss of his wife of 54 years, Joyce. The Country Music Hall of Fame member reveals that she’s passed away at age 81.
“There are no words, and not enough songs in the world to explain how much I love my Sapphire,” Ronnie said in an obituary, as reported by People. “She was the music and the feeling inside all of those songs, so if you loved my music, you understand some of how much I loved my my beautiful, beautiful wife.”
Ronnie praised Joyce for how inspirational she was to his own music.
“When people tell me they love my music, I always smile, because that music is pure Joyce,” Ronnie said. “We went through lean times laughing, good times beyond our imagination, tough times where we held on to each other for dear life.”
Ronnie, 78, also mentioned their late son, Todd, who passed away in 2019, declaring, “She was the love of my life, the mother of my son, the world’s happiest grandmother.”
No cause of death was given, though Joyce Milsap battled leukemia as recently as 2014. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
