Kentucky-born folk music legend Jean Ritchie passed away on Monday. The Appalachian music mainstay was 92 years old.

Born in 1922, Ritchie graduated in college in the ’40s and moved to New York City. Armed with a repertoire of Appalachian folk tunes and a dulcimer, Ritchie introduced many folk fans and musicians to dozens of obscure songs that would have otherwise been lost.

“The youngest of 14 children in a farming family from Viper, Ky., Ms. Ritchie was a vital link in a chain of oral tradition that stretched back centuries. Her recordings and concerts — she appeared on some of the world’s celebrated stages, including Carnegie Hall in New York and the Royal Albert Hall in London — helped keep the music alive for an international listenership.