Loretta Lynn violinist dies at 84: ‘She will be missed’

Zeke Dawson died Monday at the age of 84.

Dawson served as fiddler in Loretta Lynn’s Coal Miner Band.

Lynn’s social media pages posted a tribute to the former band member.

“Every member of Loretta’s Coal Miner group was like family to her,” the post said. “Zeke Dawson was with her for almost a decade. He will be missed by the entire Lynn family. “We are sending our love to his family this week,” he said.

He was 84 years old. The cause of his death was not disclosed.

Lynn’s former guitarist and bandleader, David Thornhill, Also published on social media.

“I’m sorry to say this, but we lost another ‘COAL MINER’ this morning,” he shared. “Zeke Dawson, who played Loretta’s violin for 9 years since 1974, passed away at 1:00 this morning. Zeke was my roommate on the road and he was a pretty unique person. He was always in a happy mood. and kept everything alive on the way. He will be missed very much. RIP big friend.

Mark Heim is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. On mobile, WNSP-FM can be heard on “Kickoff” on 105.5 FM or on the free Voice of Mobile App daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.