I had no idea that Dolly Parton had been ill, and like most people, I was shocked to hear of her death this week.
While I didn’t listen to her music constantly, I was of course deeply familiar with her hits, her iconic image, and her incredible charity work through the “Imagination Library”.
Growing up, I remember my Dad playing her cassette albums around the house, and watched her films like “9 to 5” and “Straight Talk”, though while researching this piece, I discovered she acted in many more films.
As I write this, my wife and I are watching another Dolly documentary. She truly had an astonishing career, and her songwriting ability was second to none. I understand that thousands of unreleased songs sit in her archives, so who knows, we may get more Dolly music yet.
Beyond being a brilliant singer, musician, and songwriter, she was a savvy businesswoman and a dedicated philanthropist. Her legacy will live on, and she is a talent who will be greatly missed.
I fondly recall watching her legendary Glastonbury performance on TV, and how lucky those in the audience must have felt. That appearance feels like it was only a few years ago but according to Google it was in 2014. I also remember her always-amazing appearances on chat shows like Graham Norton.
Thank you for the music Dolly, I’ll definitely be listening to more of your work this weekend. I’ve already found a greatest hits album and it’s packed with loads of popular and famous songs. The songs are great and the lyrics are amazing.
RIP. Dolly
1946 – 2026
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