Dolly Parton died today at the age of 80. Tributes have already begun to pour in from those musicians and celebrities who considered the country legend an idol, a mentor, and, in some cases, a collaborator. “So glad she’s with her Carl Dean,” Kacey Musgraves wrote on X. “No one talk to me today.” Reba McEntire penned a longer note in honor of her longtime peer in the rhinestoned country music machine. It reads, in part, “Thank you, Lord, for Dolly. She’s gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her. I’ll never forget the first time I met you and I’ll never forget our last conversation. I hold it with love in my heart. I will always love you, Reba.”
Maggie Rogers, Kelly Lee Owens, Debbie Harry, Cat Stevens, Lily Tomlin, Denzel Curry, Noah Kahan, and others have also shared messages paying homage to Parton.
Jamie Lee Curtis shared a photo of a young Parton with Dean, her late husband, on Instagram, along with the caption “Thank you, Dolly. For all of it.”
“Dolly was a one of a kind, altruistic, down to earth, musical genius,” wrote Joan Jett, who covered her own Blackhearts single “I Hate Myself for Loving You” alongside Parton for Parton’s final studio album, 2023’s Rockstar. “Working with her was one of the highlights of my career.”
Julia Roberts, Parton’s co-star in 1989’s Steel Magnolias, told Variety in a statement, “Dolly was a magical and joyous human. I hold knowing her as a treasure in my life. The sun has dimmed today.”
Dionne Warwick posted, “I will certainly miss her laugher, jokes and her being. Rest well and in total peace my friend. My heart is heavy.”
Broadway star Kristen Chenoweth called Parton her “ultimate inspiration”: “The world has lost one of the best but I know we will never forget her because she is impossible to forget.”
Jack White kept things short and sweet: “Instant Sainthood.”
This is a developing story…
