Not having an obituary pre-written for this day isn’t a function of short-sightedness so much as a stubborn refusal to accept the idea that this day would come at all, so singular was her life and her work.
I’m not one for celebrity worship– the Saint Dolly of Sevierville prayer candles always struck me as too on-the-nose– but, again, hers is such a singular case. She represented so much of what America– what humankind, period– could choose to be if only it made such choices.
The notion that the generational poverty of one’s birthright cannot stifle extraordinary talents and that those talents, in fact, will be rewarded with generational wealth, international fame, and a degree of reverence such that no one dare speak ill of you on your passing? It’s the kind of Horatio Alger myth that’s been baked into our culture for centuries now, that most all of us recognize is not at all tuned to the frequencies of the world we actually live in.
But she wasn’t really tuned to those frequencies, was she?
That she accumulated so much wealth and goodwill and then gave so much of it back and in so many ways, it gives lie to the idea that wealth and power must corrupt. The corruption we see now among the billionaire class is only who they choose to be.
And to have done so while retaining control of her brand and narrative, in the face of such rampant misogyny and classism? Consider what you actually know about her genuine personal, private life versus what you actually know about her public persona and brand identity. The gap is vast.
That was by design, always. She held fierce boundaries around her private life while building a persona on the contradiction of selflessness and generosity in all its forms, while wanting people to see (most of… some things she did quietly…) that generosity performed.
“What Would Dolly Do?” doesn’t work any other way.
Walter Chaw wrote upon her passing that Olivia Newton-John’s “brand was kindness,” a spot-on assessment of her unique place in the culture.
Similarly, Dolly’s brand was generosity.
She chose to be The Greater Good itself. That’s what we’ve lost.
Yes. Just yes.
Oh and yes, love “What Would Dolly Do” by Lainey Wilson. Something else to go on the playlist for today.
Saw this on Bluesky and now here!
I choose to remember the goodness and positivity she brought to the world and try to continue it! If enough people choose to respect and honor her memory in this way, we will be just fine. <3
…these are the final paragraphs of a feature on dolly parton (translated by copilot-ai) – “dolly everywhere” appearing in an obscure swiss country music publication in 2024:
Perhaps most decisive, however, is that Dolly Parton understood the power of images already in childhood. Pictures from catalogs or the attractive appearance of the more carefree women in her surroundings — “village tramps,” as her mother dismissively called them — sparked her imagination early. In Nashville she perfected her public image as a factor of recognition and success. Lainey Wilson and Megan Moroney have studied that very closely.
In a life full of highlights and great recognition, her 2014 performance at Glastonbury (UK) on the legendary Pyramid Stage — the main stage of the huge festival, in front of a sea of people and colorful flags — was one of her most unforgettable and remarkable appearances. There one witnessed a small woman, a great artist, and an outstanding human being. The audience felt it — and Dolly Parton felt its deep affection. Especially at an away game far from home, in front of a completely different generation than her own, and with music one does not usually hear at Glastonbury.
You didn’t need to care about country music to understand that more than just art and a great star were being celebrated that day. For one concert, people celebrated humanity — with someone who had embodied it in exemplary, multifaceted, joyful ways throughout her life. She never preached, but she never hesitated to lead by living and singing. That is why she remained relevant to this day, and a role model across generations. Her initially declined induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame two years ago — honoring a sound that influenced and changed generations worldwide like none before or after — made perfect sense from this perspective. Dolly Parton was not just a stroke of luck for country music — she was, and remains, a stroke of luck for the music world and beyond.
Dolly really understood what it’s like to be just a decent human being. Coming from extreme poverty and becoming a worldwide success story on the level of Elvis and The Beatles, she also knew she had it in her to better the condition of the world, and to give back to the community that raised her, which she did in spades.
Just as importantly, she was non-judgmental, a truly rare commodity in our country these days. We don’t have nearly enough people like that, and we lost one in Dolly. Her inspiration, however, will live on.
The framing of her career as a series of deliberate choices really lands. It’s easy to mythologize the rags-to-riches arc, but the point about generosity being a constructed, carefully defended brand—one she kept distinct from her private self—is a sharper, more honest tribute than the usual hagiography.