R.I.P. Dolly Parton

Last week we lost two icons. I will be taking the next two days to write about them.

The first one that passed away was Dolly Parton. I was sitting down on my couch and my wife texted me to let me know. I didn't believe her at first. I had just read something that Parton had written about how she was sick, but she was going to fight it as long as she could. This was only a few days before her passing. Then I got the text and checked it out and found out it was real. Dolly Parton was officially gone.

This is such a bummer. Not only was Parton an icon. She did so many wonderful things in the world of country music and acting. "I Will Always Love You" is one of the greatest songs ever written. It is so beautiful, meaningful and elegant. "Jolene" is one of the best songs ever written about a scorned lover. "9 to 5" is fun and upbeat and so easy to sing along with. I could go on and on about her music. She was such an exceptional writer, she could play the hell out of a guitar and her voice was so ironically her own. No one else out there sounds like she did.

As far as acting, the first thing I saw her in was "9 to 5". She is more than up to the task with the other great performers in that movie. When she arrives on screen, she fully takes the whole movie over. It is all hers from there on out. "Rhinestone" is a terrible movie, but not because of her. She gives it her all and she tries everything she can to save that sorry excuse for a movie. She lent her voice to so many kids shows and cartoons. She had that voice that is instantly recognizable and she used it for some great work. She also did her own music videos, as well as appearing in tons of other artists, artists who idolized her, videos. She also had a theme park in her name, Dollywood. And she gave as much back to the community as possible.

And, as I mentioned before, she was so much more than just a musical artist and actor. She was a humanitarian. She tried and gave to any kind of non for profit or charity that she believed in. She was instrumental in helping get the Covid vaccine out there and running when it was needed most. She championed other artists. My brother showed me a letter that she wrote to Eminem years back and it was amazing to see how polite and kind she could be in a letter. She wanted equality for everyone. I read that she got into a Dolly Parton lookalike contest and was beat out by a drag queen. She cheered and was so happy for that person. She didn't begrudge them or say bad things, she was happy and made sure that the winner knew how happy she was. She would appear on talk shows and make jokes at her expense and others. I love the "Letterman" clip that has resurfaced online as of late where she mentions that people don't "recognize that she also has a great ass".

Dolly Parton never let the fame get to her head. She always knew and remembered where she came from. She never stopped working hard. That is what those close to her have been saying lately. She worked all the way up to her final days. She wanted people to be happy with what she did and did as much as she could. I've also read that she has a ton of unreleased music she was working on prior to her death, and that her estate is more than likely to release it when they feel ready. I cannot wait to hear it. I have been going back and watching some of her older clips too, and she was the same when she was young and new on the scene. She was always happy and bouncy and fun when she was on the tv or on a movie screen. She never let that die. She always had an upbeat spirit that was infectious in the best way possible. She was loved the world over. No one has come out and said anything bad about her or tried to take her down a peg since her passing. She was one of the few people that crossed borders and was loved by everyone she came in contact with, or was a fan of hers. It felt like she had so much more left to give. She was taken far too soon. She was only 80. She seemed like she was ready to fight the cancer, or whatever illness took her.

This one stinks. This one hurts. Dolly Parton was a big part of my life, but also hundreds of millions of other people. My niece, who is in her early 20's, is just as devastated by this as me, my wife and my folks. Dolly Parton is going to be severely missed. I wish she were still here. At least she is with her husband wherever she may be right now. I hope she is jamming with other music legends wherever she is now as well.

Rest In Peace Dolly Parton. Gone way too soon and you will be sorely, sorely missed. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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