Loretta Lynn shared a remembrance of her husband, Oliver Lynn, Jr. (also known as "Doolittle") to mark what would have been the couple's 74th anniversary on Monday (Jan. 10).

"74 years ago, my life changed forever when I married Doolittle," Lynn writes alongside a picture of the pair smiling side by side. "We had 48 years together and I sure wish he was still here! I miss him."

She also includes the hashtag "#loveisthefoundation" in her post, in a nod to her 1973 studio album and song of the same name. "Love Is the Foundation" was Lynn's seventh No. 1 hit as a solo country artist.

Lynn and Doolittle married on Jan. 10, 1948, when she was just 15 years old and he was 21. The country legend has long credited her husband both for inspiring tender love ballads including "Love Is the Foundation" and furthering the practical aspects of her career, too. He gave the singer her first guitar, and pushed her to perform despite her stage nerves. The couple self-promoted her debut single, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl," by mailing out copies to radio stations, and made the lengthy drive from their then-home in Washington State to Nashville so that Lynn could make her Grand Ole Opry debut in 1960.

The couple also raised six children together, many of whom inherited Lynn's musical talents. Perhaps the most well-known of the Lynn children are twin sisters Peggy and Patsy, who formed a CMA-nominated duo, the Lynns, in the 1990s.

Lynn and Doolittle's 48-year marriage had more than its fair share of tumult. He was an alcoholic who routinely cheated on Lynn and physically abused her. Her songs "Fist City" and "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)" were inspired by his infidelity and heavy drinking.

Still, the singer stood by her husband.

"I didn't need him, but he was my kids' daddy. Why leave hearts laying on the floor for me? I had to think of my kids," she explained to CBS in 2002, when asked why she remained in the marriage.

Doolittle died in 1996, and Lynn sang "Wouldn't It Be Great?," a song she wrote for her husband, to him while he was dying. At the time, they'd been married for nearly five decades.

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