Chills.
Shattering the hearts of the country music world — and the world at large, for that matter — the queen of country music, Dolly Parton, passed away on Tuesday morning at 80 years old in Nashville, Tennessee. Announcing her tragic passing, her team shared the following statement about her death:
“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.
Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
Throughout Tuesday evening, more details surrounding her death began to surface, with TMZ reporting she was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Friday morning with “kidney and autoimmune issues” and a rep confirming to People that her death sadly followed a “brief battle with cancer,” though the specific kind was not revealed.
Of course, it’s hard to understate the impact that Dolly had on the landscape of country music. With 25 #1 hits, 27 gold/platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), 11 #1 albums, 10 Grammy Awards, multiple best-selling books, her own theme park at Dollywood, a lifetime of impactful work through her philanthropy and more, there’s hardly anything that the “9 to 5” singer didn’t accomplish throughout her incredible life.
Unsurprisingly, the country music world has been mourning her death. Online, legends such as George Strait, Reba and Blake Shelton, as well as Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw and Ella Langley (among plenty of others) took to social media to pen tributes, share memories and send condolences to the Parton family.
Since her passing, there have been plenty of memories shared, stories swapped and facts posted online about the late legend. Additionally, we’ve seen a plethora of live performances begin to pop up honoring Dolly across the music industry, with Ernest dedicating a performance of “I’ll Fly Away” at Red Rocks to her, Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker and Charley Crockett performing “The Last Thing On My Mind,” Jack White covering “Jolene” and the likes of Katy Perry and Pitbull taking time to remember her at their shows.
Last night, the one and only Chris Stapleton delivered one of the most moving tributes we’ve seen so far with a performance of her classic, “I Will Always Love You,” during his show at Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York.
Though the pair, who have combined for a staggering 22 Grammys throughout their careers, don’t share quite the same history as some of the other legacy acts that shared stages for decades, Stapleton and Parton did team up once before. Of course, this was on the “Jolene” singer’s 2023 cover album, Rockstar, where they teamed up on Bob Seger’s “Night Moves.”
In typical Stapleton fashion, he let his generational voice do all the talking on the tribute, delivering one of the best male-led performances of “I Will Always Love You” I’ve ever heard. With a simple black and white photo of Dolly surrounding him and his band on both of the screens, he set the bar incredibly high for the rest of the tributes and covers that are undoubtedly coming over the next few weeks.
Watch here:
@livenationnyc @Chris Stapleton pays tribute to the late & great Dolly Parton with a beautiful cover of “I Will Always Love You” tonight on Long Island 🩷🦋 #chrisstapleton #dollyparton #longisland #fyp #jonesbeach ♬ original sound – Live Nation NYC
All-American Road Show Tour Dates
August 28 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion with Carter Faith
October 2 – Bristow, Virginia – Jiffy Lube Live with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs
October 7 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Pinnacle Bank Arena with Nikki Lane
October 9 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater with Nikki Lane
