Dolly Parton — American Music Legend — Leaves A Legacy Cherished By All

Dolly Parton is no longer with us. Were you a fan of Dolly? I was, I remember seeing her movie 9 to 5 when I was a really little kid. I barely remember any of it except that she had quite a figure, right? And then I really liked that song. I think I actually had the record going back a few years. Anyway, she has passed away, Dolly Parton at the age of 80. And it's strange because I remember reading this just the other day. People Magazine was doing an interview with her. This was like four days ago. Yeah, I mean, four days ago it was published. August 21st, Dolly Parton was sharing some updates about her health while announcing her plans for a museum. So they had this exclusive interview with the 80-year-old singer. I mean, what an amazing singer. And she wrote her music too. Jolene, you know that song? And she's great. She's just great. Such a wonderful woman too. The way she, she really wouldn't get down in the mud, right? On politics and stuff like that. She just wasn't willing to go there like so many of these singers and athletes or, and, you know, actors and actresses, George Clooney, I'm looking at you, are willing to go. She really kind of stayed above all that. She's a very smart businesswoman. Dollywood, of course, was created. The president of the United States saying that they are going to lower the flag at the White House. They, they're putting it at half-mast. Gosh, for an entire week, an entire week. So here, let me get his statement for you. He says here, quote, very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest country singers and far beyond ever, has just passed away. This is a true loss for millions of people. There will never be anyone like her and never will. There was, there has never been anyone like her and never will. In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a week, beginning tonight at 6 p.m. Rest in peace, Dolly. The world loves you. President Donald J. Trump. I mean, just an amazing woman. And again, it's so sort of shocking because she had just come out in this interview and she admitted that while she was taking care of her husband, Carl, who was ill, she kind of overlooked her own health. And as a result, she was having to cancel an upcoming tour. And she mentioned that she still wanted to keep working so that her team was looking at the creation of a Dolly avatar. And she was trying to use technology to find new ways to come to people because she didn't think she was going to be, you know, I don't know if this was an omen or what, but let's, um, let's go to her family's statement that they released just a short time ago this afternoon. Watch. Hey everyone. My name is Brian Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I'm representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my aunt Dolly, Rebecca Parton Dean, sister, sis, aunt granny to one generation and Gigi to the next. This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality as her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father, Larry held before me. I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven't truly felt it until It is an honor and honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness, but sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus. Surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and long for her to meet them in the heavens. I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s. Dolly opened doors, not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn't even know was possible. Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believe that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn't open and the door she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family, whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever. Dolly was a farmer just like her daddy. He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest. Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly and Granny Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton and may God bless you all. She will always love you. Oh, my gosh. You know, don't forget that was her big song. And I always love you. And remember, Whitney Houston sang it. But if you want to go back and hear the original, I'm getting chills. I'm getting chills. I mean, oh, sorry. I didn't even see that. How terrible my picture was covering. I'm sorry about that, Dolly. You won't hear me speak if I take my picture off entirely. So let's just make me really, really, really small. There we go. I mean, she was just an amazing artist. I never interviewed her. So I only saw her from afar, as I'm sure many of you have. But what an incredible woman who was able to accomplish such an extraordinary amount. Lee Greenwood actually just releasing a statement a short time ago. Let me see if I can pull this up for you, because he was a very big Dolly Parton fan. And for the president was clearly a fan as well. For the president to be lowering the flag for an entire week, that really tells you something here. Let me see if I can get this on the screen, because Lee was just very, very poetic in what he had to say. And I want to bring this to you as well. He said, Dolly Parton has always carried a light that shines from deep within. It is a light that will never fade. Her gifts as a singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and entertainer are legendary. But as remarkable as her talent is, I believe her greatest legacy is her heart, her faith in God, her kindness, her incredible work ethic, and her generosity are simply part of Dolly, who Dolly is. She has that rare gift of connecting with people and making everyone feel like they matter. And perhaps this is why her music has meant so much to so many of us. We all lived a little bit of life through Dolly's songs. She gave words to love and heartache, hope and hardship, joy and dreams. Somehow she could tell her story and make it feel like ours. Dolly has spent a lifetime sharing her light with others. Perhaps the greatest tribute we can give her is to carry a little of that light forward ourselves, to be kinder, to give more generously, to lift others up, and to leave the world a little brighter than we found it. He ends by saying, we will always love you, Dolly, most definitely. I just want to say something else. I don't know a ton about her background, but I remember reading that she always insisted on owning her own songs. And for some reason, that kind of hit me as a creator, right, myself, because I used to work for a lot of networks, and they always owned my content. And it struck me as amazing that when she was so young and she was first starting out, there was an opportunity to sell her songs, and she wanted to own them. And so she was just a really smart businesswoman and creator from the beginning. And not only that, but just had, in my estimation, in all the interviews that I've seen with her over the years, an incredible heart. And this is what everybody's saying. She just seemed like a really nice person who never forgot where she was from, in the mountains of Tennessee, and she knew darn well, you know what? The most important thing in life is being a good person, and loving your family, and loving God. And so she's with God now. We wish her and her family all the best. Just a tremendous career, a tremendous woman. We don't know, as of yet, how she passed away. It was something that she said to People Magazine just a few days ago. She was canceling her tour because she was sick, and she was concerned about her health, and that she had not paid great attention to her health while she was looking after her late husband. So we don't know exactly what it was, but 80 years old, it kind of, I think, reminds us all of our own morbidity. And it reminds us how precious this life is, and really the importance of being a good person, and feeling this connection to family, and God, and whatever it is that you love doing. In her case, it was music, and bringing, I think, an ability for people to connect to each other through music was such a part of what she was trying to achieve every day. And she worked, and she worked, and she worked, right? Right up until the end. So Dolly Parton no longer with us, but we have all her music and her legacy. So Dolly Parton, we appreciate that. I'm gonna have to watch 9 to 5 tonight, right, in her honor. Thank you, everyone, for being here, and for watching this show as you do, and for tuning in. If you haven't subscribed, do me that favor. I see we got a lot of Dolly fans here. It's great, we will miss her indeed. And I will see you back here on The Trish Regan Show tomorrow.