We Will Always Love You, Miss Tennessee

By Carlos Mesa

Flags fly at half-mast after news breaks out of the unfortunate passing of America’s Grandma. Country music superstar, Dolly Parton, was revealed to have died at 80 years old in a statement by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, on Tuesday, August 25th, in which he spoke of his memories with his aunt and the impact that Dolly had, not just on her family, but on the world. Hours after her passing, it was revealed that her cause of death was cancer.

Dolly was a singer, musician, songwriter, actress, humanitarian, and activist, but she began as the daughter of a sharecropper in a one-room cabin in Pitman Center, Tennessee. She was the fourth of Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton’s 14 children, and while her father grew tobacco, she grew a love for music from the folk songs her mom sang to her. She wrote her first song at the ripe age of six and began singing on the radio and TV by the time she was 10.

After recording her first single, “Puppy Love”, at 13, she performed on the Grand Ole Opry. Soon after her graduation, she moved to Nashville to start her professional career as a songwriter. She soon met Porter Wagoner and became a full-time featured singer on The Porter Wagoner Show. While her career alongside Wagoner was at an all-time high, her solo career struggled as she found it hard to create an identity that could flourish separate from him.

This all changed after the release of “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” – written as a tribute to Wagoner as she set off to put her focus away from The Porter Wagoner Show and towards her solo career– which introduced her into the mainstream as a solo artist. She shot up the Billboard pop charts after the release of her hit album, “Here You Come Again”.

“Dolly has always been an icon. Apart from her music, her looks, her personality, the way she portrays herself has always been something that is almost copy-pasted throughout other artists. Like she is someone who people look at, and her style of living is a way people look up to. The hair, the makeup, the attitude towards life, her optimistic attitude towards life is also something very great about her. Apart from her music and the way she looked, her caring nature is what really kept a place in people’s hearts for her,” said junior Keisy Arias.

Throughout her career as a singer and songwriter, Dolly got 54 Grammy nominations, of which she won 11. She also won a Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 awards from the CMA including Entertainer of the Year in 1978, and three AMAs. In that same breath, she was added to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. Additionally, she received 13 ACM awards and even hosted the event in 2000.

Eventually, Dolly expanded her horizons into the movie industry. Her first role was in the comedy “9 to 5”(1980) as Doralee Rhodes. Jane Fonda wanted Dolly to take on the role of Doralee because she thought Dolly would bring an authentic Southern charm to the role. Dolly agreed to play the role as long as she got to write the movie’s theme song. Despite her being new to acting, she put her all into her role and wowed audiences and critics alike.

She went on to act in dozens of other films, such as Rhinestone, The Smoky Mountain, and Unlikely Angel. She was nominated for three Oscars, of which she won one. In addition, she was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and won two Emmys, and in 2009 she was nominated for the Tony Award.

And after decades of contributions in film and acting, there was even a musical made about her life. DOLLY: A True Original Musical is a musical performance that tells the story of Dolly Parton’s life, featuring some of her hits and co-written by Maria S. Schlatter and Dolly herself. Despite Dolly’s passing, the production of the stage show is still going forward, and its Broadway opening is planned to be on January 19, 2027. 

Dolly had always been charitable before all else. After growing up with a smart father who couldn’t pursue a high-paying profession due to his illiteracy, Dolly created Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 to distribute books to children so they could learn to read and develop an understanding of literature before they began school. However, she began her philanthropic work way earlier when she founded The Dollywood Foundation.

The Dollywood Foundation gave children in Dolly’s home county the educational resources to thrive and succeed, and decreased high-school dropout rates. In 2020, she donated $1,000,000 to COVID-19 research, which led to the creation of the vaccine; she also had a history of consistently funding pediatric and cancer research. For six months after the Gatlinburg fires in 2016, she gave families who lost their homes $1,000 to rebuild their lives.

“I think we can learn that regardless of what little corner of the world we come from, we all have a lot to offer each other. And if we break down boundaries, by talking to each other, by helping each other, by collaborating, by accepting each other for all things we have in common, we can build a much better world, just like she did,” said Social Studies teacher at MLEC, Ms, Ambas.

Besides the dazzling Dolly Parton, there was another icon known for his flashiness and flamboyant attitude that unfortunately passed away on Tuesday. Tim Curry died from severe health complications on August 25th, 2026, at the same age as Dolly, 80 years old. Though his death wasn’t announced until a day after. There is speculation that this was out of respect for Dolly, and that it was done to not overshadow her death. 

Regardless of whether or not the rumours are true, the actor known for his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his history of playing villains such as Pennywise and Lord of Darkness, deserves all the same condolences, attention, and praise as Dolly. It was while playing his first full-time role on the cast of Hair (1967) that he met Richard O’Brian, who wrote The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which was essential for Curry to skyrocket in the acting industry.

Dolly asked to be laid on a “beautiful bed of plush cotton” to die comfortably after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones. But after her passing, rather than being remembered for her rhinestones and big hair, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean should be remembered for everything she did to help the earth and its people, whether it be through her songs, acting, or her charity. Rest in peace, Dolly, knowing that you left a glow too bright for the world to forget.