Late superstar wrote 3,000 songs, recorded 450
•Trump, Clinton, Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, others pay tributes
•President orders flag flown at half-mast for one week
Dolly Parton, the legendary country music singer, songwriter and actress whose distinctive voice, colourful personality and songwriting prowess made her one of the world’s most enduring entertainers, has died at the age of 80.
Her family announced her death yesterday, bringing to an end a career that spanned nearly six decades and produced some of country music’s most enduring songs.
Parton won 11 Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Her catalogue included classics such as: “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colours” and “I Will Always Love You”, the latter of which became a global hit after Whitney Houston’s celebrated rendition.
Born Dolly Rebecca Parton on January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee, she grew up in a one-room cabin in nearby Locust Ridge as one of 12 children of tobacco farmer, Robert Lee Parton.
Her impoverished upbringing became a recurring theme in her music, giving emotional weight to songs that spoke about family, hardship, ambition and working-class life, a Reuters report said yesterday.
Her mother, Avie Lee, she once said, was a constant source of musical inspiration, singing songs from England, Ireland and Wales.
She received her first real guitar at eight and was singing on a local radio station by 11. At 13, she appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, the celebrated country music venue in Nashville.
After high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue music professionally and established a successful partnership with country singer Porter Wagoner. Their collaboration produced 14 top-10 duets and included a long-running stint on Wagoner’s television show.
When Parton decided to pursue a solo career, she wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to Wagoner. The song later became one of the most recognisable compositions in popular music.
Her songwriting became one of the defining features of her career. Parton was estimated to have written about 3,000 songs during her lifetime, although she recorded only about 450.
“I love to write poetic songs and sing flowery words,” she wrote. “I like to make you see something visually, so I want to paint a picture. And I love to come up with clever lines, not just like a songwriter, but like a poet,” she added.
Her songs were repeatedly embraced by artists outside country music. “Jolene”, for instance, was covered by artists including Beyoncé and The White Stripes, while “I Will Always Love You” became a worldwide phenomenon through Houston’s recording.
She made her film debut in 1980 in “9 to 5”, starring alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The title song earned her an Academy Award nomination for songwriting. She received another Oscar nomination in 2006 for “Travelin’ Thru”, written for “Transamerica”.
Her other acting credits included “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”, “Steel Magnolias”, “Rhinestone” and “Straight Talk”.
Twenty-five of her songs reached No. 1 on the Billboard country charts. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and received its Johnny Mercer Award in 2007. In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Away from entertainment, Parton became known for her philanthropy and business ventures.
She founded Dollywood, a major theme park in her home state of Tennessee, which became a significant tourist attraction.
Her literacy programme for young children expanded beyond the United States to Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland, while she also supported scholarships for students in the Tennessee county where she was born.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Parton donated $1 million to vaccine research at Vanderbilt University in 2020, becoming an early supporter of research that contributed to Moderna’s vaccine development. Her philanthropy reflected the image she cultivated throughout her career: glamorous and flamboyant, but deeply connected to her humble roots.
Besides, her appearance, marked by towering blonde hairstyles, colourful clothing, red nails and red lipstick, became part of her public identity. Yet Parton often made a distinction between the celebrity persona and the woman behind it.
“I look one way and am another,” she told Ladies’ Home Journal in 1982. “It makes for a good combination,” she stressed.
Parton married Carl Dean in 1966 after meeting him when she arrived in Nashville. Dean largely avoided the spotlight and did not tour with her, although their relationship inspired some of her music, including “Jolene”.
Despite her fame, Parton maintained an appeal that crossed political and cultural divides in the United States. Her self-described “dirt-poor” upbringing, philanthropy, humour and refusal to become heavily partisan helped make her popular across conservative and liberal audiences.
She also resisted efforts to place her on a pedestal. In 2021, she declined a proposal for a statue of her in Nashville, saying: “Given all that’s going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time.”
Despite decades of awards, commercial success and international fame, she identified her songs as the most important part of her legacy.
“At the end of the day, I hope that I will be remembered as a good songwriter,” she wrote. “The songs are my legacy,” she stated once.
Tributes Pour in for Legendary Singer
Meanwhile, tributes poured in yesterday from the US President, Donald Trump as well as some of the biggest names in music, entertainment and public life, with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Kamala Harris and Mick Jagger among those mourning the country music legend.
Trump ordered American flags lowered across the US for one week, telling the legendary singer, “The World loves you.”
“Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, ever, has just passed away,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will,” he added.
Trump then announced a presidential tribute to Parton. “In her honour, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM,” Trump wrote.
On his part McCartney described Parton as a “magnificent star” and praised her songwriting, singing and philanthropy, recalling their first meeting at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
He said: “She was so bubbly and full of life it is difficult to take in the news that she has passed. Her songwriting, her singing and her philanthropy were unrivalled in the world of country music and it is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly.”
Elton John said he was “shocked and devastated” by Parton’s death, describing her as “a giant of an artist, unique and irreplaceable, with the kindest heart.”
Oprah Winfrey, who shared a close relationship with Parton, recalled appearing with her on the television programme Dolly, saying one of her fondest memories was “having a hoot and a holler while wearing Bob Mackie gowns” on the show.
“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,” Winfrey said.
“No one like her. She brought the light, and we are all better because she was here. God bless you, Dolly, you earned your wings.”
Former US President Bill Clinton described Parton as “one of a kind”, praising her ability to tell the stories of ordinary Americans “with honesty, humility, and heart”.
He said Parton “rose high from her East Tennessee roots and never forgot where she came from”, while also highlighting her efforts to promote literacy.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris called Parton “a true American icon”, noting that her career included 11 Grammy Awards, an Emmy and an honorary Oscar, as well as the distribution of more than 300 million books to children through her Imagination Library literacy programme.
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger said Parton was “a wonderful songwriter and singer” who “brought so many people together”. “She brought so many people together. We will all miss her so much,” Jagger said.
Singer Patti LaBelle, a longtime friend, said she was “deeply saddened” by the death of Parton, whom she said was loved by all.
“Dolly’s artistry, brilliance, and extraordinary life inspired so many people, including me,” LaBelle said. “Her light will forever shine!,” she added.
Carole King also paid tribute, saying her “heart was breaking” over Parton’s death and describing her as “an exemplary human being” in addition to her musical talents.
