Nashville singer-songwriter Terri Lynn Kathey found dead

Nashville singer-songwriter Terri Lynn Kathey was found dead just days after she disappeared in Tennessee while on her way to deliver a package.

Chattanooga news station WTVC ABC News Channel 9 reports that the body of the 71-year-old blues and gospel singer was found Tuesday (June 18) at the Monteagle Welcome Center just off I-24 near Chattanooga. The Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed the news to WTVC.

“I believe investigators have been in contact with the family and local law enforcement in the area,” an MNPD spokesperson said. “The cause of death is unknown at this time, but it appears to be most likely a natural death.”

Kathey also performed under the name Terri Lynn Blues. She and her husband, Nashville drummer Kevin Kathey, owned a courier service, and Terri Lynn Kathey disappeared on Sunday (June 16) after leaving her home around 4:30 a.m. to pick up a package bound for Chattanooga.

• A friend reported seeing her at a gas station on Music Valley Drive at 6:10 a.m. Sunday, acting normal.
• She used her debit card at Hardee’s on Elm Hill Pike around 6:30 a.m.
• Her husband reported her missing on Monday morning (June 17).
• Police pinged her phone to a tower on Monteagle Mountain, and Kevin Kathey drove around the area for several days searching for his wife to no avail.

Kathey was driving a 2017 Honda Civic when she left home. Police found no evidence that the car had been impounded or repossessed. Checks at hospitals and prisons also yielded no clues.

It is not clear who found Kathey’s body at the Welcome Center in Chattanooga. A Facebook post by family friend Kerry Pharr suggested Kathey was found in her car after a possible heart attack.

Kathey’s management group, New Breed Music Group, shared the news of her death in a post honoring her music and Christian faith:

Kevin Kathey is a well-known Nashville drummer who, according to LinkedIn, has played with Charlie Louvin, Tommy Overstreet, Emmylou Harris, Joey + Rory, and others. He also owns Next Exit Productions, which produces music and voiceover sessions.

As he searched for his wife, friends and colleagues flooded his Facebook page with prayers and posted numerous tributes, prayers and condolences since news of her death broke.

Sterling Whitaker is a senior writer and managing editor at Taste of Country. He focuses on celebrity real estate as well as coverage of Yellowstone and related shows such as 1883 and 1923. He has interviewed cast members such as Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott and Harrison Ford and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country music legends such as Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs and more.