Loretta Lynn Cancels Show Festival At Sandpoint Loses Two Headliners; Lucky Dube Grounded By Exhaustion

Country crooner Loretta Lynn and reggae singer Lucky Dube, two of the Festival at Sandpoint’s headline acts, have canceled their concerts next week.

Lynn’s husband, Mooney, is dying of heart disease. The singer has canceled all her upcoming performances to stay with him at the hospital. Lynn’s sister, Crystal Gayle, will perform instead at the Aug. 10 show.

Dube, who is at home in South Africa, is suffering from exhaustion after months of touring. He was ordered by his doctor to rest and won’t continue performing in the United States until the end of August, festival organizers said Thursday.

Dube’s concert was scheduled for Aug. 11. Reggae band Jumbalassy, which was the opening act for Dube, will play two sets to replace the exhausted singer.

“We are disappointed, but the festival season isn’t falling apart,” said Executive Director Connie Berghan. “We certainly understand the problems and know Loretta Lynn’s place is by her husband’s side. If we didn’t have Gayle, it would have really weakened our lineup.”

Gayle is not fulfilling any of Lynn’s other prior commitments.

“She (Gayle) made a lot of changes in her schedule to take her sister’s place, knowing this was one of our biggest shows,” Berghan said. “She is making a special concession just for the festival, and I think that says a lot about our reputation in the music industry.”

Organizers knew that Lynn might have to back out, but the final decision was made Wednesday.

Lynn also sent a message to festival organizers apologizing and asking if she could play next year.

“I have heard many wonderful comments about the festival and was looking forward to performing in such a beautiful location with such gracious people,” Lynn said in a written statement.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TICKETS Tickets for the canceled Loretta Lynn or Lucky Dube concerts may be refunded. Or, Lynn tickets may be used for Crystal Gayle’s replacement performance Aug. 10, or the Bellamy Brothers concert this Sunday.