Doris Yvonne Tillis, the former wife of Country Music Hall of Fame member Mel Tillis and mother of Grand Ole Opry member Pam Tillis, has died.
Pam Tillis shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook, telling her fans that “words are insufficient” at the moment and called her mother the “heartbeat” of their family.
Tillis’s longtime friend and frequent collaborator also mourned the loss of Doris with a statement posted to Twitter. “Lorrie Morgan Entertainment along with friends and family are deeply saddened by the death of Pam Tillis’ mother Doris Tillis,” she wrote. “We are praying for their peace and their heavy hearts at this time. God Bless Pam Tillis.”
Doris and her former husband Mel Tillis, who passed away in 2017, were married for 20 years and had five children together. According to a magazine article published in 2006, Doris was born in Plant City, Florida in 1941. She wed Mel when she was just 16 years old and they moved to Nashville shortly after.
Our thoughts are with Pam and the rest of the Tillis family as they mourn the loss of Doris.