Country legend Lynn Anderson dead at 67

LOS ANGELES - Grammy-winning country legend Lynn Anderson, who sprang to international stardom with her 1970s classic hit "Rose Garden," has died at the age of 67, US news reports said Saturday.

Anderson died Thursday of a heart attack at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville after being admitted for pneumonia, publicist Mark Logsdon told CNN.

Anderson had a string of other hits to become the biggest singer in country music of her era, before going on to moderate success as an actress.

But it was for "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" that she will be most fondly remembered, topping the charts in countries across the world.

The song's namesake album held the title of the best-selling country LP by a solo female artist from 1971 until Shania Twain broke its record in 1997, Rolling Stone magazine said.

It was that which earned the blonde-haired Anderson, born in Grand Forks, North Dakota to songwriter parents, her Grammy.

The country world mourned the death of one of its finest with singer Dolly Parton leading the tributes.

"Lynn is blooming in God's Rose Garden now. We will miss her and remember her fondly," media quoted Parton as saying.

Fans also paid their respects on Anderson's official Facebook page.

"Good bye Lynn Anderson. I have many happy moments listening to you," wrote one.

Anderson was raised in California and attributed her love of country music to her mother Liz Anderson, a renowned songwriter.

She moved to Nashville in 1970, providing the springboard for the highest point in her sparkling career.

Aside from "Rose Garden," other notable successes included "Cry," "How Can I Unlove You," "Keep Me in Mind, "You're My Man" and "Fool Me," in a career that spanned four decades.

She was still performing until the end of her life, her last album - of gospel music - coming out in June.