8-25-2026 8:11pm

On Today's Outpouring of Love for Dolly Parton

S RENEE GREENE Editor

Jane Fonda-Dolly Parton-Lily Tomlin "NINE TO FIVE" Credit to: IPC Films and 20th Century FOX Studios, 1980

Last night, I saw a “social media post” that was unvetted come through announcing the deaths of Michael Wright AND Dolly Parton.

I knew Wright was gone, he left us shortly after Latimore … but the Dolly Parton one last night, I ignored thoroughly, and I will tell you why.

Social media has a tendency to be creepy about announcing the deaths of people who often turn out to still be alive.

Yes, I knew she had recently spoken of ‘health issues,’ but I took it to heart because all of us -especially in the same AGE RANGE as her- tend to have a plethora of health issues of one kind or another. I felt like she would be okay.

Well, today she is okay.

PERFECT, as a matter of fact.

I ignored last night’s news, not only because I didn’t want to believe it, but because it didn’t come from what I would call a ‘reliable’ news source and there were no “streaming headlines” from larger sources, like nosy@ TMZ .

Well…

Iwoke up this morning, and her nephew Bryan Seaver had confirmed it, even as other more reliable news sources plastered it as slowly and unbelievably over the transom of media newswires as we felt about it.

NOT Dolly! It was coming up slowly, but surely — and even before “Google” got around to putting up her death date, I already knew it was true.

Yes, everyone has to go at some time, but there are some folks who are so much larger than life…and I had been a Dolly Parton fan since Porter Waggoner and HEE HAW! I remember her from when I was barely 13 years old.

My Fanship

It wasn’t constant, but it was consistent … if it was about Dolly, I already knew it was going to be good and brilliant and “just Dolly!”

I have to say, as a person who didn’t know her privately, I was personally proud of her. You said something about Dolly, I was lit. But no one ever really did; and those who tried got a side-eye from me. She wasn’t THAT white woman, she was JUST DOLLY.

Every sighting of her, and all I could do is smile. Every time someone spoke of her, I didn’t have to see her to smile. Her face appeared even when I wasn’t looking. If she was on TV or in a movie or being interviewed or hosting a show, I had to stop what I was doing and turn to watch.

That’s the impression she made on me. Dolly walks in, everything stops.

She was one of those kinds in her public persona, unlike most of the ones I have and have not met, who wasn’t “A. Wyt Woman,” she was JUST DOLLY: Being herself, and doing what Dolly do.

When I would read articles about all the things she did, and all the places she went, and all the things she said, and all the many ways she used her life and her talent to bless others … I was awestruck. The first and only white woman I ever wished I was.

Not too many in her position make those kinds of waves and that kind of a spectacular impression across multitudes of people of every color, denomination, spectra, gender, and whatever other category we could name … without something ugly happening; but in the past 60+ years of my own life, I never saw or heard of her -publicly- making a misstep, or saying something wayward or obscene.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what a PURE WOMAN OF GOD of all races and ethnicities should ALWAYS look like.

The Americas, the world, was better off for having had her in it.

If all or at least MORE of of us were anything like her, this world would be a beautiful and just and righteous place in which to live.

God rest your beautiful soul, Dolly, girlfriend.

Congrats, you beat the devil at his own game by putting it back in hell where it belonged AND LEAVING IT THERE.

Well done! YOU DONE GOOD! We will always, ALWAYS love you, Dolly!

Signed,

One of your biggest fans,

###

Bryan Seaver, the son of Dolly’s sister Cassie Parton, posted the official video announcement directly to Dolly Parton’s Instagram account on behalf of the Parton and Owens families. Seaver, who served as Dolly’s head of security for over two decades, revealed that his aunt had personally requested years ago that he be the one to break the news to her fans when the time came. Key moments and messages shared by Seaver in the moving video include:

Fulfilling Her Final Wish: Seaver expressed that delivering the message was an honor “mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” but reminded fans that “sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.

Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus”.