What to Know About Katherine Williams-Dunning, the Daughter of Hank Williams Jr. Who Was Killed
The death of Katherine Williams-Dunning, the 27-year-old daughter of singer-songwriter Hank Williams Jr., has been felt across the across the country community and beyond.
Williams-Dunning died in a car crash in Tennessee on Saturday night. She was driving an SUV — which was towing a boat at the time of the crash — when it crossed the highway median and rolled over before coming to a stop on the shoulder at around 7:45 p.m., a Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesperson told PEOPLE.
She was killed in the accident, while her husband Tyler Dunning, 29, was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
"This is an active investigation and more details will be made available later," a Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman said, according to The Paris Post-Intelligencer.
Here's what to know about Williams-Dunning and the legacy she leaves behind.
She Was Williams Jr.'s Youngest Daughter
Along with Williams-Dunning, Williams Jr., 71, shares son Samuel, 23, with wife Mary Jane Thomas. He also has three other children from previous marriages: daughters Hilary, 41, and Holly, 39, and son Hank Williams III, 47.
In honor of her "precious little sister," Holly shared a family photo to Instagram, adding in the caption that Tyler "is awake and responding."
"I have no words. On Friday morning I talked the family into taking this picture and had no idea it would be our last together with my precious little sister Katie," she wrote. "We all went to my great aunts funeral on Thursday whom we all loved dearly, and now are faced with another one."
"ALL we need is prayers. My daddy. My little brother. Katie's husband (he is awake and responding don't know injury extent yet). My niece and nephew. Her Mama. The Dunning family. All of us. So. Many. Prayers. Jesus is close. Thank you all ??????," she added.
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Katherine Williams-Dunning/Instagram Hank Williams Jr. and Katherine Williams-Dunning
Hilary shared her own post on her Instagram Story, writing, "My beautiful little sister Katie. I'll always love and miss you. ?? I'll see you again one day beyond the blue."
Samuel was the first to share the news of her accident in a message on his Facebook page, which has since gone private.
"My sister and brother in law have been in a terrible accident. Please pray for them so hard! Katie Williams and Tyler Dunning," Sam wrote.
"NEED EVERYONE WHO SEES THIS TO PRAY FOR KATIE WILLIAMS RIGHT NOW AND TYLER DUNNING !!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!" he added in another.
She Was a Self-Described "Daddy's Girl"
For Williams Jr.'s 71st birthday on May 26, Williams-Dunning shared a tribute to him on Instagram.
"A throwback to show y'all that I have always been a daddy's girl!" she captioned an old photo of her and her father. "Happy birthday to my Daddio, my hero! The lessons you have taught me in this life are by far some of the most precious gifts that I will ever receive! I hope you had the best day! ??"
She Was a Wife and Mother
Williams-Dunning and Tyler tied the knot on Oct. 15, 2015, after seven years of dating. They share two children, son Beau Weston, 5, and daughter Audrey Jane, 2.
She frequently posted photos of her kids and husband on social media, last sharing photos of them taken during a family trip to a Florida beach in May.
"These days are wild with a 2 and 5 year old!" Williams-Dunning captioned the fun shots on Instagram. "In January this year, I decided to be more present and be more peaceful in all aspects of life. These kids will not pose for a picture but as long as they are having fun and feeling loved by mom & dad, surely we are halfway doing this parenting thing right!"
On social media she was also open about her journey to motherhood. In 2017, she shared an Instagram post about how she once thought she'd never be able to get pregnant "due to endometriosis" and four surgeries she had to have performed on her left ovary.
"The feeling of being a woman and thinking you will not be able to bear children is an unbearable feeling," she wrote. "Endometriosis affects 1 out of 3 women rather it just be immense pain or being infertile, it is in itself a terrible diagnosis to have. As women we must be kind to each other and support one another."
"This morning while pumping for my little hallelujah, I read a blog that asked 'are you mothering yourself?'" she continued. "We must take care of us to care for our littles and husbands. Motherhood is a journey and finding a balance. Prayers to all the moms out there finding their balance and to all the women who are trying to become a mom, do not give up hope. God is with you."
She Was on Say Yes to the Dress
Williams-Dunning appeared on season 7 of the TLC bridal reality series Say Yes to the Dress in 2014, when she was searching for her gown ahead of her wedding to Tyler.
During the episode, in which her father also appeared, Williams-Dunning found the one.
"She said YES to the DRESS! Katherine, the daughter of Hank Williams Jr., said yes to our 'Fantine' gown and looked absolutely beautiful on her wedding day! We loved every minute of this episode," bridal gown designer Matthew Christopher wrote on Instagram after the wedding.
RELATED: Country Singer Hank Williams Jr.'s Daughter, 27, Killed in Tennessee Car Crash
She Owned a Clothing Company
Williams-Dunning ran a clothing company called Weston Jane, which she explains on her website was built "as a way to build moms up."
She admitted, though, that when starting the company a little more than a year ago, her "mom guilt was out of control."
"I felt like while trying to do this amazing thing for myself and my family I was in fact, spending less time with them," she wrote. "That is when it hit me, that would be my platform, supporting other moms. In a world where moms and women are constantly criticized and torn down, I wanted my business to be a place where they could be built up."
She designed all of her Weston Jane items herself, and they were all printed by another mom in her West Tennessee town. Everything else available on the site for purchase was made by a mom as well.
"At Weston Jane, our items are all either handmade or printed by another mom," she wrote on her website. "Our business is all about moms supporting moms and women supporting women."
