Country great Loretta Lynn’s beloved ranch foreman dies in Tennessee floods

Country star Loretta Lynn is grieving the loss of her beloved ranch foreman in the floods that inundated central Tennessee over the weekend.

“With the heaviest of hearts we are saddened to report that our beloved foreman Wayne Spears did not survive being swept up in the flood waters,” Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills said in a statement Sunday evening. “Wayne has been a family friend to the Lynns and a fixture to the Ranch for decades, and we are all devastated by his passing.”

Spears would “always be remembered for his ready smile, kind heart, and willingness to go the extra mile for everyone around him,” the statement continued. “Eventually we’ll rebuild our community, our ranch, our lives and our homes. but only God could build a man like Wayne Spears. There’s just no replacing that.”

Spears was among at least 22 people who died after being swept up in flash floods that deluged the central part of the state Saturday after record rainfall. More than 40 people were still missing as of Sunday night.

Devastating Tennessee floods kill 22, including twin babies

Spears was seen in a photo snapped by someone at the ranch, in turgid, chest-high water as he clung to a pillar, USA Today reported.

He was “out at his barn and next thing you know, he goes from checking animals in the barn to hanging on in the barn to people seeing him floating down the creek,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told USA Today. “And that’s how fast it had come up.”

Search and recovery efforts continued in the town of Waverly and throughout Humphreys County, the Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency told USA Today.

“There are no words at the ranch today...only tears,” Lynn wrote on her personal, official Facebook page. “Our ranch family is our family. We lost my amazing ranch foreman, Wayne in this devastating flood. He took such good care of things here on the ranch for us. He’s one of us, and the whole Lynn family is heartbroken. Please pray for his precious family and friends.”