At one point, Charlie asks Patsy what she's done all day, and she responds, "I've been sipping champagne with Kirk Douglas." When the scene was filmed, Jessica Lange actually said, "I've been sipping champagne with Rock Hudson," but Hudson's AIDS diagnosis was revealed before the film was released, and the producers thought a reference to him would be distracting.
References to Patsy Cline's friendship with Loretta Lynn were left out. Producers felt their relationship was already covered in Nashville Lady (1980). Both films were produced by Bernard Schwartz.
The plane crashed in a swampy area about 5 miles west of Camden, Tennessee, and 1 mile north of Highway 70. The plane was destroyed on impact and all four occupants, including Patsy, died instantly. Locals said they heard a dull-sounding crash, followed by complete silence.