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Patsy Cline’s life and career were cut short by a plane crash six decades ago. But their musical legacy endures and their influence is felt in a star-studded tribute concert Friday night on PBS.

“Great Performances – Patsy Cline: Walkin’ After Midnight,” scheduled to air Friday at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), is a 90-minute program featuring a talented roster of musical guests performing songs that Cline made famous made – or songs he wrote about the singer.

Wynonna Judd plays a key role in the concert, recorded in April at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, performing a rendition of “Sweet Dreams (of You)” midway through the program. She returns to close the show with “Crazy,” the Willie Nelson-penned song that gave Cline a hit on the country and pop charts in 1961.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – APRIL 22: Wynonna performs on stage during Walkin' After Midnight: The Music Of Patsy Cline at Ryman Auditorium on April 22, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Wynonna Judd performs during "Great performances - Patsy Cline: Walkin' After Midnight."

Other cast members include Ashley McBryde, Crystal Gayle, Mickey Guyton, Kristin Chenoweth, Rita Wilson, Kellie Pickler, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Grace Potter, Beverly D’Angelo, who Cline portrayed in the 1980 film “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” and Mandy Barnett, who performed Cline songs in the 1990s jukebox musical “Always…Patsy Cline” at the Ryman performed.

Before performing the song “I Fall to Pieces,” Chenoweth, who starred in the Broadway production of “Wicked” and appears in the new film version, said it was her first time on the historic Ryman stage.

As a young singer, Chenoweth said she remembered the first time she heard “the voice.” “I learned by listening to her.”

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Pat Benatar: Patsy Cline “transcends” country music

The mix of country legends with modern country artists as well as rockers like Potter, Benatar with husband and music partner Giraldo made sense because Patsy Cline “goes beyond the genre,” Benatar told USA TODAY. “She’s an icon.”

Benatar and guitar virtuoso Giraldo – inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 – chose to perform the 1962 song “Imagine That” after performing several songs before the concert. “One in particular I thought was kind of sassy and it just felt better when I sang it,” she said.

They felt “really honored and happy to be a part of it,” Benatar said. “I loved Patsy… I’ve always loved her so much. It was really great to come in there and sing a song. You know, I’ve never done anything like that with their music before, so it was kind of fun.”

Who was Patsy Cline?

Born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8, 1932, in Winchester, Virginia, she adopted the stage name “Patsy” at age 20, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame, making her the first female solo artist inducted in 1973.

She had a major hit with “Walkin’ After Midnight,” released in March 1957, and became a regular at the Grand Old Opry in January 1960. As “I Fall to Pieces” climbed the charts, Cline and her brother Sam Hensley Jr. survived a near-fatal head-on collision with a car in June 1961.

Just six weeks later, Cline performed “Crazy” on the Opry stage with the help of crutches.

She died at age 30 in a plane crash on March 5, 1963, near Camden, Tennessee, while returning from a benefit concert in Kansas City, Missouri. Also killed in the crash were: Randy Hughes, who was Cline’s manager Randy Hughes, and musicians Lloyd “Cowboy” Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins.

Cline’s other hits include “She’s Got You” and “Leavin’ on Your Mind” and “Sweet Dreams (of You)”, released after her death.

“It’s just amazing what she accomplished in the short time she was there, and especially in the time she lived. “It’s very empowering and you feel that connection tremendously when you listen to their music,” said Benatar. “It was just a beautiful evening and a really purposeful and spectacular tribute to her.”

How to watch Great Performances: Patsy Cline: Walkin’ After Midnight

The show will air on local PBS stations Friday at 9 p.m. local time. You can also find the program on the PBS app or watch at pbs.org/gperf.

During the show you’ll also see archival video interviews with Loretta Lynn, Dottie West, Roy Clark, Owen Bradley and Cline’s late second husband Charlie Dick.