Dolly Parton was such a welcome part of all of our lifetimes, no matter how old or young you are, that the announcement of her passing Tuesday at 80 feels like a death in the family.
I will never forget meeting her in person at a well-known Los Angeles restaurant. Yamashiro Hollywood, located in the hills up behind the Chinese theatre. This was 40 years ago, in 1986. I was there with then wife Cathy and another couple, friend and TV Guide Canada colleague Ray Bennett, and his wife Renee Rich.
Looking past our immediate table I could not help but notice a woman at the far end of the restaurant. She had miles of curly blonde hair with a curvy figure to match and, yes, it could only be Dolly Parton! She was saying hello to fans, so many that she might as well have been taking dinner orders. When she got to our table we were treated to that million-dollar smile as she immediately recognized Renee, a Memphis music connection who happened to be the daughter of country legend Charlie Rich.
Today, of course, everybody would be diving for their phones to grab selfies with the 11-time Grammy Award and three-time Emmy Award winner. She earned Oscar nominations as well, more than holding her own as an actress opposite Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in “9 to 5.” She agreed to do that 1980 film on one condition — that she got to write the opening song and sing it. It is hard to think of her now without those lyrics running through one’s head.
Instead of a photo we got a visit. Parton asked about all of us. She was just as you would expect — warm, friendly and genuine. By the time of that encounter, she had already clocked 30 years in showbusiness and had been married 20 to Carl Dean; that union lasted 59 years, till his death in 2025. Not that there wouldn’t have been a long list of would-be suitors. When she guested on The Tonight Show in 1977, Johnny Carson famously offered “about a year’s pay” to peak under her blouse.
Parton’s music credentials are astounding. Her 50 studio albums helped her sell over 100 million records worldwide. She composed over 3000 songs, including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” a song offered to Elvis until his manager Tom Parker demanded she hand over half of the publishing rights. Saying no to the Colonel earned her millions in royalties.
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A year later I saw Parton in person again. So did 200 other reporters attending the Television Critics Association semi-annual network press tour in Los Angeles. As the headliner of ABC’s big budget variety show Dolly, Parton was the biggest star at that summer’s TCA. The series opened to nearly 40 million viewers. It boasted a Who’s Who of music and film guest stars, including Tammy Wynette, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Tom Petty, Bruce Willis, Tom Selleck, Dudley Moore, Oprah Winfrey, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
Problem was, it was a full decade past the variety show peak. In the ’70s, everyone from Carol Burnett to Sony & Cher, Donny & Marie, The Captain & Tenille and Tony Orlando & Dawn had a variety show. In an era when sitcoms such as The Cosby Show, Cheers and The Golden Girls ruled the ratings, not even Parton could stem the tide. The series only lasted one season, 1987-88.
Parton likely did not lose any sleep failing to improve on her Spencer: For Hire lead-in. She was already bigger than television, opening her own Tennessee theme park, Dollywood, in 1986, as well as a film and television production company, Sandollar Productions. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Steve Martin’s “Father of the Bride” movies fell under that banner.
She also continued to act in films such as “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (1982), “Steel Magnolias” (1989) and guest starred in TV shows such as Designing Women and Reba. In 2018, Netflix produced an eight-part series centred on her music career titled Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings. In 2023, at 77, she performed as a Dallas Cowboy’s NFL halftime show dressed as one of their cheerleaders. When the rider she was supposed to be standing on didn’t rise, she strutted around it and just kept on singing.
Parton’s philanthropy extended to many causes, including children’s literacy. By 2018, her charity had donated 100 million free books to young readers. Other charity efforts over the years aided causes such as animal welfare, medical centres, victims of fires, and other disaster responses. She very publically took a needle in her arm in support of the COVID-19 vaccine, personally donating a million dollars in response to the pandemic.
Parton’s family announced her passing Tuesday on social media. “A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.” Accolades have quickly poured in from Elton John, Reba McEntire and various politicians. Parton’s “9 to 5” costar Lily Tomlin saluted her as “the great Harmonizer of Humanity.”
There is so much more to Parton that trying to sum up her impact on music, culture and even just manners seems futile. Whether you saw her in concert, on television and movies, or even in a chance meeting in a restaurant, she just made you smile and feel like there was still a lot of good left in the world. How is that for a legacy.
