Oliver Lynn

Oliver Vanetta Lynn, Jr. (August 27, 1926 – August 22, 1996), better known as Doolittle Lynn (also Doo and Mooney) was an American talent manager and country music figure, best known as the husband of country music legend Loretta Lynn. Over the course of their often-tumultuous 48-year marriage, Doolittle was instrumental in developing Lynn's musical talent and country music career, purchasing her first guitar, getting her first radio appearances, and serving as her de facto talent manager for many years.

In addition to his ongoing support for his young wife's career, Loretta wrote about her husband, "[He] thought I was something special, more special than anyone in the world, and never let me forget it... Doo was my security, my safety net". He was also known to be violent, an alcoholic, and a womanizer who was a somewhat reluctant participant in his wife's life as a country music celebrity. Nonetheless, he was a central figure in many of his wife's hits, including "Fist City", "The Pill", "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)", and "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)". Loretta said, "Doo really gave me a lot of things to write about, you know. He was very...what do you call it? Inspirational".

The Lynns' marriage, which began when Doo was 21 and Loretta was 15 (often reported to be 13), has been described by historians and music scholars as "one of the great legends of the twentieth century" and "one of the most compelling tales in American popular culture."

Oliver Lynn was portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones in the Oscar-winning 1980 film, Coal Miner's Daughter.

Born in Butcher Hollow, near Paintsville, Kentucky in Johnson County, Oliver Lynn was an uneducated resident of a town based around the coal mining industry. Having served in the United States Army during World War II, he was uninterested in coal mining upon his return. He made a living selling moonshine, which earned him the nickname Mooney. At age 21, Lynn met 15-year-old Loretta Webb at a pie social, and a month later they married. A year afterward, they relocated to Custer, Washington as Doolittle searched for better work opportunities. By the time Loretta was 19, the couple had three children. The Lynns had a total of six children: Betty Sue, Jack Benny, Clara Marie ("Cissy"), Ernest Ray, and twin girls Peggy and Patsy (named after Patsy Cline). Jack Benny Lynn predeceased his parents; Betty Sue Lynn died in 2013.

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