Tammy Wynette’s Daughters Want Legend’s Name Put Back on Grave

Tammy Wynette's daughters are reaching out for support in a public campaign to help get their mother's stage name back on her crypt.

The iconic country singer's name was replaced with her married name, Virginia W. Richardson, after the girls agreed to have it changed -- but only temporarily.

Georgette Jones Lennon, along with Wynette's three other daughters, is asking fans to join a Facebook group called 'A Restoration' - Tammy Wynette’s Name and Legacy to help them fix the error. They thought they would be able to change her name back easily, but since they don’t own the burial crypt, they aren't able to. They've reached out to an attorney, but are hoping that support from the general public -- and country music fans -- will only strengthen their case.

“She worked very hard and long her whole life for that name,” Lennon explains (quote via the Tennessean). “That’s who she believed she was. That is who she was.”

This isn't the first time Wynette's daughters have faced difficulty obtaining rights or heirlooms that belonged to their mother. The legend's husband, George Richey (George Richardson), got all of her belongings and her home following her death. He was also given the rights to both her publishing and business ventures. Although her own daughters and Richey's children expected to receive these items after his death, they were all sold to a music publishing company in 2010.

Wynette's daughters tried to reach out to attorneys about their mother's items, but apparently a small clause in the will said that Richey could sell whatever he needed to take care of himself if he became ill. Lennon doesn't think he ever got that sick.

Deirdre Richardson Hale, Richey's lawyer's daughter, owns the crypt and was the one behind the name change in the first place. Wynette's daughters were under the impression that the name change would be to Virginia Wynette Pugh, the singer's maiden name. Lennon and her sister, Jackie Daly, have spoken out against Richey, even writing books to shed light on what they consider to be manipulation of their mother.