'Rose Garden' Singer Lynn Anderson Dead at 67

Country singer Lynn Anderson, best known for "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden," has died in Nashville at age 67 of cardiac arrest. Before that early '70s smash, Anderson rose to national prominence as a regular on the Lawrence Welk Show in the late 1960s, reports the Tennessean. Anderson's other hits included "Rocky Top," ''You're My Man," ''How Can I Unlove You," ''What a Man, My Man Is," and "Top of the World," which the Carpenters made into a hit of their own. Though her popularity faded over the years, Anderson continued to record: She released a gospel album in June called Bridges that pleased the critics, and the Tennessean says she seemed "poised for comeback" after a string of DUI arrests.

"She did so much for the females in country music," says Reba McEntire. "Always continuing to pave the road for those to follow." The AP recounts an interview with Anderson in which she recalls when "Rose Garden" rose on the country and pop music charts. "It was popular because it touched on emotions," she said. "It was out just as we came out of the Vietnam years and a lot of people were trying to recover." She added: "This song stated that you can make something out of nothing. You take it and go ahead. It fit me well and I'll be proud to be connected to it until I die." (More obituary stories.)