Another beautiful tribute.
Though it still doesn’t feel real nearly 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.
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.
Upon her death on Tuesday, the country music world 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.
In addition to all the beautiful tributes penned, a plethora of artists have taken time to honor her live in concert recently. The big one came on Saturday at the Grand Ole Opry, where the likes of Carly Pearce, Jelly Roll, Kathy Mattea, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, Molly Tuttle and more performed her biggest hits. Additionally, we’ve seen the likes of Brad Paisley fighting back tears during his first performance of “When I Get To Where I’m Going” without her, Chris Stapleton delivering a chill-inducing cover of “I Will Always Love You,” Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker performing “The Last Thing On My Mind” alongside Charley Crockett, Ella Langley honoring Dolly with “Jolene,” Carrie Underwood paying tribute with a performance of “See You Again” and more.
Though he didn’t pen a long tribute post upon her passing, Zach Top, who has been crowned the savior of traditional country music over the past few years, took time to honor the Tennessee native at multiple shows over the weekend on his Cold Beer & Country Music Tour.
On Thursday night during his headlining set at YQM Country Fest north of the border in Dieppe, New Brunswick, the “I Never Lie” singer would pause the set to deliver a truly impressive cover of Dolly’s 1977 #1 hit, “Here You Come Again.”
@luka_hall @Zach Top @YQM Country Fest #zachtop #dollyparton #yqmcountryfest2026 #hereyoucomeagain #zachtopconcert ♬ original sound – Luka Hall
In case that wasn’t enough, the next day, during his stop in Bangor, Maine, at Maine Savings Amphitheater, Top would outdo himself and deliver yet another stellar Dolly cover. This time around, he’d tackle what can be argued the most iconic track in her illustrious discography, “9 to 5,” which recently jumped up to #2 on Spotify’s Global Top 50 upon her passing.
@shittanyy tribute to Dolly Parton 🤠🩷 #zachtop #bankofnhpavillion #concert #dollyparton ♬ original sound – Brittany
Of course, Top is no stranger to Dolly’s discography, recently releasing a cover of her holiday classic, “Hard Candy Christmas,” last year. And unsurprisingly, he knocks both of these performances out of the park and delivers a fitting tribute to the late legend as the country music community mourns the loss of one of its very best.
