Country music icon Dolly Parton died Tuesday morning at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville after being admitted early Friday with kidney and autoimmune issues. She was 80. Tributes quickly poured in from global music stars, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and longtime friend Reba McEntire, honoring her legendary career and generosity.
Music Icons and Hollywood Stars Remember a Legend
The global music community reeled following the news of Dolly Parton’s passing, with towering figures from rock, pop, and country sharing emotional tributes. Paul McCartney reflected on his history with Parton, which began when he met her in Nashville at the Grande Ole Opry right before starting her solo musical career. She was so bubbly and full of life, it is difficult to take in the news that she has passed,
he said, adding that her songwriting, singing, and philanthropy were unrivaled in the world of country music and that it is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly.
John said he was shocked and devastated
over the news, describing her as a giant of an artist – unique and irreplaceable, with the kindest heart.
Taylor Swift, who began her professional career in country music as a teen after moving to Nashville, has paid tribute to Parton’s true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person.
Swift highlighted Parton’s lasting impact on younger generations of female artists, thanking her for the tightropes she walked so that young girls like me could grow up dreaming of joining the circus too.
Swift also acknowledged the millions of books she provided children all over the world so that they might fall in love with stories the way she did.
“A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right,” the singer said in a statement shared with the BBC. “But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.”
Taylor Swift
Beyoncé said Parton was the “barometer” and the “north star,describing her as
bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious.” You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself. I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship,
Beyoncé wrote. Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s 2024 country album, famously featured a rendition of Parton’s song Jolene. Meanwhile, former talk-show host Winfrey wrote that one of her fondest memories with Parton was having a hoot and a holler while wearing Bob Mackie gowns on her show Dolly.
Winfrey noted that this girl from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee dreamed a life and then lived a life bigger than she could have ever imagined, giving so generously to others in ways we saw and ways we didn't.
Reba McEntire Pays Tribute to a Decades-Long Friendship
Reba McEntire is saying goodbye to her longtime friend Dolly Parton, sharing a deeply personal tribute after learning of the country icon’s death. Reba wrote that Dolly had passed onto the higher and greater side,
thanking her for everything she gave the world through her music, love, and huge huge heart.
She added, There will never ever be another you,
saying fans will cherish every memory and every note Dolly ever sang. The two country stars had shared stages, award-show moments, and plenty of love for one another over the years during a close friendship that spanned decades.
Reba also said she believes Dolly is now having a blast in heaven
singing with family and friends who died before her. The country star closed on an especially personal note, saying she’ll never forget the first time she met Dolly or their final conversation, affirming that there really will never be another Dolly.
An Unmatched American Songbook and Cultural Legacy
Dolly Parton was more than a musician, actor, author, philanthropist, or theme-park entrepreneur, occupying a space in our global cultural imagination as a figure of American mythology. But from the very beginning, at the heart of everything she accomplished, she was a songwriter. Her progressive sociopolitical stance was evident from the beginning of her career, which overlapped with the emergence of the women’s liberation movement, shining through on country classics like Just Because I’m a Woman.
Parton said the song was inspired by a conversation with her late husband, Carl Dean.
The quintessential example of Parton the raconteur is Coat of Many Colors,
an autobiographical tale about her mother making her a coat out of rags. Now I know we had no money, but I was rich as I could be,
she sings. “Jolene” was also inspired by Dean; Parton told NPR in 2008 that she wrote the song about a flirty bank teller who seemed to take an interest in him and his frequent visits to the bank. The second single from Parton’s 13th studio album, I Will Always Love You,
was written for Porter Wagoner ahead of her departure from The Porter Wagoner Show
in 1974 after collaborating with him since 1967. It was later recorded by Whitney Houston in 1992 for the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard,” topping the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks.
Here You Come Again
was penned by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, first recorded by B.J. Thomas, and originally conceived for Brenda Lee before becoming a tentpole pop crossover hit for Parton. Enter Parton the Hollywood star: the ebullient “9 to 5” was written for the 1980 film of the same name, which starred Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her acting debut. Earning Parton her first Oscar nomination, the song also appears on her album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs.
By the 1980s, Parton had fashioned herself as a mainstream celebrity, teaming up with Kenny Rogers for Islands in the Stream,
a track written by the Bee Gees.
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- Dolly Parton Dead: Country Music Legend Dies at 80 (world-today-journal.com)
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