Ian Gavan/Getty
Audio By Carbonatix
On Tuesday, Aug. 25, the family of beloved country pioneer and humanitarian Dolly Parton announced she had died at 80 years old.
Remembered for her unmatched wit, hair as close to God as a Southern woman can get and her unyielding positivity, the music world lost one of its greatest artists. Parton was a trailblazer for women in music and had just as many hits as she did rhinestone-emblazoned dresses. A national treasure and the Queen of Country Music, modern music couldn’t exist if Parton hadn’t done it first.
“Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent,” Bryan Seaver, Parton’s nephew, said in a video posted to her social media pages. “By her example, we believed that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history.”
Beyond music, the “I Will Always Love You” singer became known for her decades of philanthropic work. Her Imagination Library has provided nearly 300 million free books to children to expand educational access before entering grade school. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Parton donated $1 million to fund research on the Moderna vaccine.
Earlier in the year, Parton canceled a Las Vegas residency to address medical concerns. Earlier this month, Parton abruptly canceled an event scheduled at her long-running theme park, Dollywood. Just days before she died, she told People Magazine that while taking care of her late husband before his passing in 2025, she “didn’t pay attention to” health issues of her own.
One of her later, and most memorable, performances was right here in North Texas for the 2023 Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC). In a custom-signature DCC rhinestone outfit accentuating her most prominent features, Parton performed classics like “9 to 5” and “Jolene.”
Parton’s legacy, not only for musicians, but for all women, cannot be understated. Shortly following the news of her death, North Texas artists who revere her as one of their greatest inspirations took to social media to honor Parton.
Here are just a few of the artists who we have to thank Dolly Parton for:
