Dolly Parton, the legendary country music icon, died on August 25 at the age of 80. According to a statement from her team, the global icon died in Nashville, Tennessee, 勇敢に短い闘病生活を送った末に亡くなったと発表され、最期の数時間は愛する人たちに囲まれていた。 Prior to her death, Parton had been hospitalized at Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, though her family kept details regarding her condition private. Her death comes months after she canceled a Las Vegas residency due to health challenges.
Career and Charitable Work
Parton’s career spanned more than six decades, during which she wrote thousands of songs and sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. Beyond her music, her charitable work became a defining part of her public life, including her efforts to provide millions of books to children all over the world.
Tributes from the Entertainment World
Paul McCartney’s 1974 Grand Ole Opry Meeting
The news of Parton’s passing triggered an outpouring of tributes from across music, sports, and entertainment. Paul McCartney, 84, shared two black-and-white photos taken by Jack Korn for The Tennesseean in 1974, depicting his first meeting with Parton at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. McCartney reflected on that history, noting that she had been performing with Porter Wagoner at the time before she began her solo career.
McCartneyは、彼女が非常に快活で生命力に満ち溢れていたため、彼女が亡くなったという知らせを受け止めるのが難しいと述べた。また、彼女の楽曲制作、歌唱力、そして慈善活動はカントリーミュージック界において比類なきものであり、Dollyのいない世界を想像するのは困難であると語った。彼はさらに、「Jolene」の歌手である彼女を、自身の音楽の価値を理解し、何よりも人々に与える影響を理解していた非常に賢明なビジネスウーマンであったと評した。
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Oprah Winfrey Tributes
Beyoncé, who featured a rendition of Parton’s song “Jolene” on her 2024 country album Cowboy Carter, honored the late star on her website. Beyoncéは、Dollyこそが基準であり、北極星のような存在であったと記した。また、彼女は大胆で輝かしく、才能にあふれ、粘り強い人物であったと称え、自分らしくあるための多くの教訓を教えてくれたこと、そして彼女の芸術、心、寛大さ、ユーモア、起業家精神に感謝していると述べた。
Taylor Swift also paid tribute to Parton’s 眩いばかりの人物でありながら、真の気品と真の不屈の精神を兼ね備えていたと称えた。 In a statement shared with the BBC, Swift remarked, A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right. But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.
Former talk-show host Oprah Winfrey shared that one of her fondest memories with Parton was 自身の番組『Dolly』に出演した際、Bob Mackieのガウンを身にまとい、大いに騒いで楽しんだことであると語った。
A Tennessee Icon
Peyton Manning’s Neyland Stadium Appearance
The loss was felt particularly deeply in Tennessee. Former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback and Denver Broncos great Peyton Manning honored Parton with an Instagram tribute on Tuesday night, pairing his words with photos from her 2023 appearance at Neyland Stadium. Manning had escorted Parton onto the field before a Volunteers game, where she performed “Rocky Top” with the university’s band in front of more than 100,000 fans.
Manningは、Dollyのような存在は唯一無二であり、彼女と知り合えたことを幸運に思うと綴った。また、彼女がいなくなってしまったことで、Tennesseeはもう以前のようにはならないだろうと述べ、彼女との別れを惜しんだ。