I was sitting at a counter having lunch yesterday when I read Dolly Parton had died. I’m not gonna lie - I was gutted. I literally couldn’t hold back the tears. It felt like one of the brightest lights, and one of the few unambiguously good things in a world that desperately needs them, had suddenly gone dark.
Dolly was a country music legend, having written songs so enduring you only need to hear the title and the music starts playing in your head.
I Will Always Love You.
Jolene.
9 to 5.
Here You Come Again.
But what I loved even more than her music was her as a human being.
First, and perhaps the thing that says the most about her character, she refused the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump. Twice (Full disclosure: she also refused it once from Biden. She said she felt she didn’t deserve it, although I’m guessing there were very different reasons for turning down the two presidents).
There was her sense of humor. She always knew how she looked and appeared to other people, and she was perfectly happy having some fun at her own expense. Here's a sample:
Against all odds and naysayers, she displayed shrewd business instincts and acumen, building her theme park Dollywood n the Great Smokey Mountains in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee into an internationally popular vacation destinatioin.
Despite it not being a popular point of view with many of her southern and country fans, Dolly was a vocal and valued supporter of the gay and trans communitiies, and she was never shy about speaking out on their behalf. Once on the Larry King show, she called herself the poster child for those communities, always giving them credit for supporting her and making her the star she was.
And of course, the philanthropy.
In April 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, helping fund early-stage research that contributed to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Through her Dolly Foundation, her Imagination Library, which the Orange Jabba cancelled federal funding for, has given more than 300 million books to children in the U.S. and around the world.
Her philanthropy has reached hospitals, libraries, schools and countless other causes. There's no shortage of lists of her generosity all over the interwebs. And they are long.
There are literally thousands of great performances from Dolly. One of my favorites is this haunting, ethereal and beautiful one with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
In a time increasingly defined by division, ugliness and greed, Dolly seemed determined to choose something else. Generosity. Optimism. Kindness. Hope.
She reminded us that being enormously successful doesn’t require becoming enormously self-important. That you can be famous without losing your humanity. And that sometimes, simply being a good person is its own kind of greatness.
I’ll miss Dolly Parton. .
Apologies for the cliché, but there really will never be another one like her. .
Maybe that’s why losing her hurts so much. We didn’t just lose a remarkable singer or songwriter. We lost one of those rare people who made the world feel a little warmer simply by being in it.
God got the wrong 80-year-old. And the rest of us got a beautiful gift, and beautifully gifted person, for 80 years.
The angels have a new member of the choir, and tonight they're singing a little sweeter.
Rest in peace Dolly.
