Tammy Wynette's Grave: No Name Change at Woodlawn Memorial Park

There is no evidence of a name change on Tammy Wynette's headstone at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Facts

• Burial: Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh) died April 6, 1998; interred at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 660 Thompson Ln, Nashville
• Headstone: Reads "Tammy Wynette" — her professional name, used for decades
• Legal name: She legally changed her name to "Tammy Wynette" in 1978 (from Wynette Byrd, her 2nd married name)
• Epitaph: Includes "First Lady of Country Music" and dates

Why the Rumor?

• Multiple marriages (5 husbands) → name changes: Pugh → Byrd → Wynette → Richardson → Shepherd → Wynette (legal)
• Daughter Jackie Daly contested will/estate — media speculated about grave
• Internet folklore conflates legal name history with headstone

The grave accurately reflects the name she chose, built her legend under, and legally adopted. No mystery — just a country icon resting under the name the world knew her by.