Cline was born on September 8, 1932, in Winchester, Virginia, to Hilda Virginia (née Patterson) and Samuel Lawerence Hensley. Mrs. Hensley was only 16 years old when Cline was born. Sam Hensley had previously been married; Cline had two half-siblings (aged 12 and 15) who lived with a foster family after their mother died years before. Hilda Hensley had Samuel Jr. (called John) and Sylvia Mae after Cline. In addition to “Virginia,” Cline was also known as “Ginny” as a child.
She lived temporarily with her mother’s family in Gore, Virginia, before moving around the state several times. Throughout her childhood, the family moved to places where Samuel Hensley, a blacksmith, could find work, such as Elkton, Staunton, and Norfolk. When the family’s finances were tight, she would look for work. This included an Elkton poultry factory, where she pluck and cut chickens. The family moved frequently before settling on South Kent Street in Winchester, Virginia. Cline would later report that her father had sexually abused her. When confiding in friend Loretta Lynn about the abuse, Cline told her, “take this to your grave.” Hilda Hensley would later reveal details of the abuse to the producers of Cline’s 1985 biopic Sweet Dreams.
What was Patsy Cline’s net worth at the time of death?
Patsy Cline was an American country music singer who had a net worth of $10 million after inflation at the time of her death in 1963.
Cline was hospitalized at the age of 13 for a throat infection and rheumatic fever. When asked about the incident in 1957, she stated, “My throat became infected, and my heart even stopped beating.
I was placed in an oxygen tent by the doctor. You could say that my return to the living after several days launched my career as a singer. My throat was affected by the fever, and when I recovered, I had a booming voice like Kate Smith’s.”
During this time, she became interested in singing. She began singing in the local Baptist choir with her mother. At church social events, the mother and daughter also sang duets. She also learned to play the piano on her own.
