Fast and Furious star, Vin Diesel, was one of the many celebrities and high-profile individuals to put out a tribute honoring the late country music icon… and if there was an award for “Most Unexpected Dolly Parton Tribute,” he’d have it in the bag.
When the news broke of Dolly Parton’s passing at the age of 80 earlier this week, the world was devastated. Tributes poured in from all corners of the world, and country music artists like Alan Jackson, Ella Langley, George Strait (just to name a few) all shared heartfelt messages about how much Dolly meant to music and the world at large.
And since the icon’s passing, many fans and those mourning her loss have turned to her extensive catalogue of hits for comfort. I know I’ve listened to “Coat of Many Colors” and “My Tennessee Mountain Home” a handful of times since the news broke. It’s undoubtedly been a tough week, and music can be very healing and therapeutic.
Just ask Vin Diesel.
The 59-year-old actor known for his roles in Fast and Furious and The Pacifier has evidently taken the loss of Dolly Parton quite hard (like many others). The Dolly song he’s turned to during this time? That’d be “I Will Always Love You.” Dolly first put out her version as a stand alone single in 1974, when it peaked at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart later that year, and then rereleased it October 1982, with a re-recording for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack.
Obviously, it took on a whole other life when Whitney Houston covered it for The Bodyguard. That’s one of the greatest covers of all time, but it’ll always be Parton’s song. And speaking of covers… in what has to be the most unexpected tribute of all time, Vin Diesel shared a photo of Dolly Parton on his social media with about two minutes of audio overlaid.
What was that audio, you might be asking? It was Vin Diesel covering “I Will Always Love You.” The actor started at the very beginning, and bravely chose to go a cappella (with some sort of reverb effect on his voice) before a supporting instrumental kicked in. He got about two minutes into the song – and even harmonized with himself – before a message of “Love You…” appeared across the screen.
“If I should stay
I would only be in your way
So I’ll go, but I know
I’ll think of you each step of the way
And I will always love you
I will always love you.”
That’s certainly something.
Like many others, I have plenty of questions, ranging from “Did Vin Diesel put that together when he heard the news, or was that already sitting somewhere ready to go?” to “Vin Diesel sings?” It’s gotten mixed reviews online, and I’m not really sure what to say about that.
Everyone grieves differently, and maybe this is how the action star likes to work through losses in his life. So I won’t declare it a “good cover” or a “bad cover.” I’ll just say once again… it was certainly a very unexpected tribute to Dolly Parton from Vin Diesel.
