Posey, a musician who notched several No. 12 singles on the ‘Billboard’ Hot 100 in the 1960s, reportedly died at her home in Tennessee. She was 80.
Posey died of complications from dementia at her Tennessee home in the morning of Saturday, July 20, with husband Wade Cummins by her side, TMZ reported two days later.
According to TMZ, Posey’s husband – a Presley impersonator who performs as Elvis Wade – explained she was diagnosed with dementia years ago, and her health has declined throughout the past seven years.
Born June 18, 1944, in Jasper, Alabama, Posey grew up in Arkansas and began working as a recording studio receptionist before scoring gigs as a session singer, according to her Spotify bio.
Her first single, “Kiss Me Goodnight,” was released under the pseudonym Martha Sharp in 1965 and caught producer Chips Moman’s attention, per the bio. He soon helped her land a contract with MGM Records.
Posey officially debuted as a pop recording artist in 1966, and her first two singles – “Born a Woman” and “Single Girl” – both reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, as did her 1967 hit “I Take It Back.”
She earned two Grammy nominations at the 1967 ceremony: best contemporary solo vocal performance – male or female and best vocal performance, female, both for “Born a Woman.”
In the 1970s, Posey transitioned to a more country-leaning sound and worked with Tammy Wynette’s producer Billy Sherrill, earning several top – 40 hits in the genre throughout the decade.
The singer retreated from performing in the mid – 1980s and later worked as a session performer and touring musician for Presley, according to Spotify. She returned to working as a recording artist for a brief time in the mid-2000s.
Cummins reportedly told TMZ a celebration of Posey’s life, which he will stream live on Facebook, will be held at an unspecified date in the near future and revealed she will be cremated.