Less than a week after the news of Dolly Parton’s death broke the hearts of millions of fans, including mine, what can I write about her that hasn’t already been said?
Perhaps I could write that I grew up in Nashville during the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it wasn’t at all unusual to encounter country music celebrities out and about just like regular people. Lynn Anderson’s parents lived next door to us. Eddie Arnold’s house was just a couple of miles away. My brother mowed yards and some of his customers were big names. Minnie Pearl, whom he called “Mrs. Cannon.” Larry Gatlin. Prolific songwriter Harlan Howard.
In those days, a fresh-faced young woman named Dolly Parton wasn’t yet a famous performer or songwriter. She was the “girl singer” alongside Grand Ole Opry superstar Porter Wagoner, for whom she later wrote “I Will Always Love You.” It wasn’t unusual to see Dolly out and about in Nashville. I saw her several times myself. She was always humble and friendly. And humble and friendly she remained until the end of her long, wonderful life.
Perhaps I could write about how much I love Dolly’s movies. “9 to 5” was a delight. So was “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” But it was in her role as beauty shop proprietress Truvy Jones in “Steel Magnolias” that Dolly stole the show. “I had a radio once, but I threw it up against the wall when I couldn’t figure out where the batteries went,” she said. “I know now that I was suffering from pre-menstrual syndrome.”
As a contributor to “Guideposts” magazine, I could write about how Dolly graced the cover not once, not twice, but three times and about how all the editors agreed she was an absolute joy to work with. I only wish I could have collaborated on at least one of those stories.
Or I could write about Dolly the songwriter. Of the thousands she wrote, my three favorites are “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You.” And in terms of hit songs she sang but didn’t write, how can you beat “Why’d You Come in Here Looking Like That?” That’s the one with the phrase “in your cowboy boots and your painted-on jeans.” You remember, right?
My favorite Dolly Parton quote, out of dozens and dozens of choices, is this: “I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb and I also know I’m not blonde.”
We all know about Dolly the philanthropist. She gave millions of dollars to worthy causes ranging from childhood cancer research to AIDS research to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. She gave millions of dollars to help people in the Smokies recover from the devastating fire of 2016 and millions to help victims of Hurricane Helene in east Tennessee. She gave millions of dollars to encourage students in her native Sevier County to stay in school and millions to help them pay for college.
And don’t even get me started about Dolly’s Imagination Library, which has donated more than 300 million free books to children across the globe. Twenty years ago, as manager of Baxter Branch Library, I witnessed first-hand the gratitude as parents signed their young children up to receive a book through the mail every month until they turned five years old.
What a gift. What an incredible gift.
There’s a YouTube video I’ve been watching over and over again ever since I learned of Dolly’s passing. It’s of Dolly and Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn on stage together at the Grand Ole Opry House during the 1993 CMA awards. They banter with each other for a time and then launch into an amazing rendition of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles.” Watching makes me feel just a little less sad.
Here’s hoping it might do the same for you.
(September 5, 2026)