What kind of monster would vandalize Dolly’s star?
Though it still doesn’t feel real exactly a week later, the queen of country music, Dolly Parton, passed away on August 25th at 80 years old in Nashville, Tennessee. The “Jolene” singer had been dealing with undisclosed health issues for the last year or so, and she previously shared that she was having issues with severe kidney stones. Aside from that, she understandably didn’t share more, though clearly there were more serious issues going on.
Dolly’s rep confirmed to People that her death sadly followed a “brief battle with cancer,” though the specific kind was not revealed. She had been open about her health struggles over the last several months, though it sounds like the cancer was a more recent development.
The family announced that, at Dolly’s request, a small private service will be held for immediate family, and her nephew revealed to TMZ that Dolly will be buried “in her signature high heels and a comfortable cotton dress” in the mausoleum at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, Tennessee, where she was buried next to her late husband Carl Dean on Friday.
Upon her death on Tuesday, the country music world — and the world at large, for that matter — has been mourning her loss. 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. Additionally, a plethora of artists ranging from the likes of Brad Paisley, Vince Gill and Chris Stapleton to Langley, Zach Top and Carrie Underwood took time during their concerts to honor the late legend with various covers.
What remains even more important in regard to Dolly, her artistry and her life in general is the fact that she served as a great unifier between just about everyone. It truly didn’t matter what side of the political aisle you’re on, what your sexuality is or where you were both socially or geographically; there was an incredibly high chance that Dolly impacted you in some way, shape or form throughout her illustrious career. Of course, that was shown from the outpour of support she received from just about everyone, ranging from President Trump to even the Royal Family.
With that being said, it still hasn’t stopped some people from doing some downright disgusting acts that have served as the antithesis of everything that Dolly stood for, and the most recent form came in the form of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame being vandalized.
Of course, the star, which the “Jolene” singer received back in 1984, had been covered with flowers and other tributes upon her passing. However, as a fan discovered, her name had been scratched off the plaque and flowers had been stolen.
Repairs are reportedly already underway:
Ana Martinez, a spokesperson for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, would tell The Atlantic that the star was already scheduled to be repaired due to cracks over time. However, the scratches removing her name “appeared” to be an act of vandalism.
“The star was scheduled for repair for cracks as of last week. A fan went to the star yesterday and reported on social that the star was vandalized with many scratches. From the photo she posted, it does appear the star was vandalized with scratches.”
She would also clarify that the flowers had now been removed in order to make repairs, and the repaired star will be polished and ready to be reinserted on Friday.
The flowers had been removed yesterday morning in order to do the scheduled repair on the star today. This repair was set up late last week and the crew is currently at the star making said repairs. The repairs are currently ongoing and are done by the Hollywood Historic Trust which maintains and repairs the Walk of Fame stars. The star will cure and will be polished on Friday for fans to enjoy.”
The vandalism follows some downright shocking displays of hate from a small minority of people, highlighted by a Texas street pastor raising a flag that was at half-staff in honor of Parton and calling it “repulsive and offensive” and a group of Christian protestors shaming gatherings of “wicked perverts” at Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, in the wake of her death.
I really thought Dolly Parton was the last unifying figure we had left in America, but apparently not.
