Here final recording is every bit as spectacular as she was.
On August 25th, 2026, Dolly Parton sadly passed away at 80-years-old in Nashville Tennessee due to what was described as “brief battle with cancer,” and the specific kind was not revealed.
There were tons of stories and tributes shared about Dolly following her very sad passing, and I think the world is still in mourning over losing such a light… I know I am. But her legacy lives on, and today, the final song she ever recorded has been released.
It’s part of U2’s new album, Carnaval de Luz, and Dolly recorded the album’s closer, “Torn,” in June, and she is listed as a writer alongside the band along with Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid.
Frontman Bono previously told Rolling Stone that even though Dolly was very sick, she “got out of bed” to follow through and record it for them, and he says he “can’t even listen to it now”:
“When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song. And you can hear that. And I can’t even listen to it now.”
Wow… what a woman. Dolly’s work ethic, integrity and commitment is just unbelievable, and even up until her final months she was still doing what she loved and following through with her commitments. It’s just unreal.
Dolly’s Estate also shared the letter she wrote to Bono when she sent him her part, telling him she thinks it could be “something really special,” and signing off with “I’ve always loved you and always will.”
She was right… it’s beyond special (swipe to the second slide to read the letter):
It was Bono’s idea to work with Dolly, but initially, he was thinking she could be featured on an unreleased side project which was inspired by his love for Irish folk music, though Dolly wasn’t sure that was the right fit after hearing some of the demos over the phone.
But she had another song in mind, one she had already started on her own in “Torn,” and she told him to play around with it and see if he could make it work for a different project:
Bono says he feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to work so closely with Dolly, and he knows just how special it is to be part of the last song she ever recorded. Surely, he could’ve never imagine this would ultimately end up being Dolly’s final recording ever, a huge honor considering her illustrious career and all of the amazing music she put out over many decades.
And in another interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Bono explained that he had wanted Dolly to work with him on a “Celtic Irish folk project” because he knew about her Appalachian roots which includes a lot of Scottish lineage (a lot of Scots-Irish people settled in Southern Appalachia and formed the primary cultural and demographic backbone of the region which have been carried on to present day):
“I got in touch with her and we were discussing some of the songs, just her and I, across the phone line. One of the songs was called ‘Lifelong.’ I think it was kind of like a marrying song, like a wedding song. And she said, ‘That’s a little too Irish for me, if you don’t mind.’
And I said, ‘You’re from the Appalachians, aren’t you all Scots Irish?’ She said, ‘Yeah, but I’m talking about my voice.’”
It was Dolly who had already started working on “Torn,” and she suggested they used that song:
“And she said, I got a song started called ‘Torn.’ Now you can take it somewhere else and I’d like to see where you could take it or something like that.”
The song seems to touch on complex family relationships, something that Bono says people all over the world can relate to:
“Quite traditional and we really took it somewhere else. I was really surprised that she ran with it. That’s because not only was it sort of, not just American families, but arguing at the kitchen table and two brothers not speaking. You know, had some real friction of the times in it.”
Dolly recorded the song just two months before her passing, and Bono explained that none of the band members or anyone else involved with the song on their end knew how sick Dolly was. He says Dolly recorded an “amazing vocal,” adding that Dolly “got out of bed” to sing it and he couldn’t believe she would even consider doing all of that now knowing the kind of state she was in:
“I was surprised that she ran with it and she sang it like she just took flight. Amazing vocal. And she was ill at the time. We didn’t know how ill, of course. And she got out of bed to sing this song. And it meant a lot to us at the time, just knowing she was ill, that she would even consider doing something with us.”
I think that sums Dolly up perfectly… continuing to sing and live out her passions regardless of her being sick, and not letting anyone know so that they don’t worry or feel sorry for her. She was a one-of-a-kind in every way.
Album producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee says Dolly “loved” the final mix of the song, and it makes me all the more excited to hear the song very soon:
“Dolly loved it. She was so proud of her vocal and the recording. She was thrilled with it. We were very nervous that she might not approve, or would be uncomfortable with it, but she loved it.”
And as you can imagine, the song didn’t disappoint. In fact, there’s actually two versions, the U2 album cut as well as a “country version” titled ‘Torn’ (Kent Wells Version), who is Dolly’s longtime producer and musical director.
The lyrics tell the story of a family that has been torn apart, hence hte title, as Dolly sings from the mother’s poitn of view and how much it hurts her that her sons are fighting:
“I can’t deny this passion and desire
But I know it has to burn me
Standing this close to the fire
What am I supposed to do?
And how am I supposed to choose?
I love ‘em both and I just feel so torn
I love ‘em both and I just feel so torn
The glass that frames the picture crack like ice
The photograph remembers all that we now deny
When halfway seems too far to meet
Across the table too hard to reach
Apples falling from the same tree can roll
Torn apart these loving hearts
That beat and break the same
We share a house divided
And the blood that fills our veins
Brothers turn to strangers
And sons deny their name
Somebody loses either way”
She explains that “nothing hurts a mother more, than a family at war,” which is incredibly ironic given that her family has been going through a lot of public drama since her passing, including a lawsuit between her nephew, Bryan Seaver, and her Estate (which has since been dropped), as well as the firing of her niece, Rebecca Seaver.
Publicly, though, the Parton family has put on a united front, and we all know that’s exactly what Dolly would have wanted.
“Hands that used to hold you clenched in fists
Words that used to soothe you cut you into bits
Are you your brother’s keeper now?
Or know what you’re fighting for?
Nothing hurts a mother more
Than a family at war
Torn apart these loving hearts
That beat and break the same
We share a house divided
And the blood that fills our veins
Brothers turn to strangers
And can’t feel each other’s pain
Somebody loses either way”
The song is brilliant, her voice is beyond amazing, and now knowing all the context around the recording of this song (like how sick she really was at the time she recorded this) … it just makes it all the more special. It’s honestly very emotional to listen to, I still can’t believe this is the last we’ll ever hear from Dolly, but there’s no doubt she went out with a spectacular performance.
It’s sincere, honest, downright beautiful and heartfelt, just like Dolly always was, and her final work is every bit as extraordinary as Dolly was.
It took my breathe away, I have to imagine this is going to take home some awards when the time eventually comes, and even though there’s a lot of sadness in knowing she’s gone, we will always have the music, and in typical Dolly fashion, she went out with a huge bang… we will always love you, too, Dolly.
Check it out (but grab a tissue first):
“Torn”
You won’t be surprised that the country, Kent Wells version is by far my favorite… what an absolute stunner:
“Torn (Kent Wells Version)”
