Loretta Lynn honored with statue on the Grand Ole Opry's Icon Walk

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Loretta Lynn is now part of the Icon Walk at the Grand Ole Opry.

A ceremony Tuesday outside the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville unveiled the bronze likeness of Lynn standing next to an acoustic guitar. The dedication comes 60 years after she made her debut on the Opry stage.

The statue joins two other statues on the Icon Walk of Bill Monroe and Little Jimmy Dickens. The 88-year-old wasn't able to travel to Nashville for the ceremony, but she did send a statement that was read before the unveiling.

"My dream, like thousands of other singers, was just singing on the Grand Ole Opry ... Many years, I've stood onstage at the Ryman Auditorium, and there's no place like it," Lynn said. "It means so much to me to have the statue. One day soon, I'm gonna get to come to the Ryman and see it for myself, but for today, I want to say thank you, and I love each and everyone of you for thinking of me."

In a post on her Facebook page, Lynn wrote: "This touches my hear so much! I can't even believe it. I love the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry so much. #60yearsago "

Video of the ceremony was posted on the Ryman Auditorium social media pages.

Lynn is known as the "First Lady of Country Music" and was the first woman to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year in 1972. The Kentucky native is famous for many hits including her iconic "Coal Miner's Daughter," which was the title of a movie about her life. She is also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. And Lynn was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

IMAGES | Kentucky native Loretta Lynn through the years

Two other bronze statues are part of the Grand Ole Opry. Statues of Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl are featured in the lobby of the Ryman perched on a pew.

The historic Ryman Auditorium is known as the Mother Church of Country Music and is the most famous former home of Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974.