It’s impossible to adequately or uniquely express the profound loss felt across the music world, popular culture, and humanity in general by the death of Dolly Parton. Within the first hour of the devastating news breaking, there were dozens of editorials and tributes published to pay homage to the once-in-a-lifetime entertainer. Nevertheless, I’m going to do my best to do the same. Quite simply, it’s difficult to wrap one’s mind around a world that exists without Dolly Parton in it. Dramatic as it may sound, Parton was one of those uniquely special and impactful public figures whose passing makes a fan feel like they’ve just received news about the loss of someone they knew. But this merely speaks to the magical connection that Parton’s talent, sincerely, charm, and example forged with the general population. She was infamous for her animated figure, larger-than-life charisma, and extreme glamour, but she was as real, relatable, and in-tune with the everyday person as any celebrity in history. This beautiful irony is truly the greatest pillar of Parton’s legacy, more-so than any of the achievements she made in music and beyond.
But, oh what a bounty of achievements they were. Growing up in impoverished conditions in the Tennessee mountains as the fourth of twelve children, hers became one of the definitive rags-to-riches stories in entertainment history. Her musical ambitions and talents were apparent even before her teen years, and by the time her twenties arrived, she had embarked on Nashville in search of country music superstardom. She found it, and then some, across a six-decade career that amassed sixty albums, over 200 singles, upwards of 3,000 songs written, 100 million in record sales, cross-over success into the mediums of film and television, and numerous other business ventures. To say that her artistic and cultural reach was staggering would be an all-time understatement.
As a woman in the male-dominated industry of country music, she joined fellow icons Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette in further forging the path set before them by genre pioneers Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline. This holy trinity of female innovators in the 1960s country scene helped chart the course of the genre’s development into one of popular music’s most lucrative sectors, and opened doors for both their contemporaries and the next generation of female artists to follow. Stylistically, she championed and recorded bluegrass and traditional mountain music with the same pride and authenticity as she did pop and disco, with contemporary country acting as the central bedrock. By successfully bringing country music to pop and international audiences in the late 70s and early 80s, she set the stage for the later careers of artists like Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood. Meanwhile, the influence of both her angelic voice and fiercely feminine-minded song-sense would later be heard in the work of countless acts, among them Reba McEntire, Patty Loveless, Lee Ann Womack, Alison Krauss, The Chicks, The Judds, Pam Tillis, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Kathy Mattea, Ashley Monroe, Carly Pearce, Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, and Sabrina Carpenter.
As a collaborator, she crafted beloved recordings with the likes of Porter Wagoner, Kenny Rogers, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Lynn, Wynette, Willie Nelson, Olivia Newton-John, Elton John, Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Vince Gill, Norah Jones, Beyonce, Brad Paisley, Ricky Van Shelton, Cyrus, and countless more. Her glitzy and dramatic stage show, as well as her inroads as an actress and comedienne opened doors for other multi-faceted country entertainers, primarily McEntire, but also those like Jennifer Nettles. And yes, her boundary-pushing fashion-sense and eye-popping imagery very much made inroads in the pop-world for future superstars like Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and. Lady Gaga, while unquestionably inspiring an entire generation of drag artists like RuPaul.
As a songwriter, her name belongs on the same, untouchable list of greats that includes Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Lennon/McCartney, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, and Joni Mitchell. Her staggering body of songs served as a fountain of uniquely innovative gems, and unequivocal standards, chief among them “Jolene”, “9 to 5”, “Coat of Many Colors”, and of course, “I Will Always Love You”, which via Whitney Houston’s monumental 1992 cover, provided one of the greatest pop records of all time. And while her successes may have brought her to Hollywood and to international stages, but her heart always remained most at home at Nashville’s fabled Grand Ole Opry, where she enjoyed over fifty years of membership.
And when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame rightfully awarded her with induction in 2022, she committed to recording a proper rock album (her final solo studio LP, 2023’s Rockstar) as a way of retroactively “earning” the honor. If ever there was an artist who deserved to simply rest on their laurels in this case, it was Dolly Parton. But, that simply wasn’t how her relentless work-ethic or integrity allowed her to operate. Poetically, her final solo single release would prove to be 2025’s “If You Hadn’t Been There”, written for her late husband, Carl Dean, who preceded her in death by seventeen months.
Had Dolly Parton simply excelled in one of the areas highlighted above, her career would have earned itself a legendary stature. The fact that she did so in all of these various areas makes her body of work one of the all-time great artistic achievements in history. However, the area that likely brought Parton her greatest pride and joy was certainly her work as an activist and philanthropist. She made significant efforts in the interests of child literacy, medical research, and economic relief. She was an outspoken activist for marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community, long before it was common-place. She wore her Christian faith passionately on her sleeve, but used it not as a political tool, but rather as a compass and a vessel for undiscriminated love, acceptance, and understanding.
Her ability to navigate a six-decade career in the public eye without a single notable scandal is not a testament to her business acumen or PR savvy (though they were both impeccable), but rather to her genuine humanity. In a world that still feels as polarized as ever, Dolly Parton was that rare figure that everyone could agree upon. This was why my afternoon doomscrolling saw tribute posts from the likes of Ricky Skaggs juxtaposed against artists like Eminem. She didn’t just set a staggering example for her fellow-artists to follow; she set an example for all of us as human beings. In turn, it became easy for each of us to like she gave a small part of herself to us specifically.
Tonight, my husband and I spent the evening re-watching her 2019 documentary, Here I Am. As we relived her story and watched her being interviewed, it was surreal to realize she no longer walks among the living. In a society so divided, it was comforting to know that there was a Dolly Parton out there in the world. But, her light does indeed live on eternally through the entertainment and memories she devoted her life to giving us. I’m a certifiable mush deep-down. On any given day, hearing a song like “I Will Always Love You” could have me on the verge of tears. Listening to the song’s spoken bridge today definitely brought me over that edge. For so many of us, that magical musical moment, one that has been in the universe for a half-century, suddenly feels reinvented as something completely new and heartbreakingly different. It sounds like Dolly’s tearful goodbye to the world, and to each of us.
Thank you, Dolly. For all the magic, and for the towering example to live by. We will always love you.
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