The flags are at half mast for a week, but her legacy and spirit will go on forever.

Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean — January 19, 1946 – August 25, 2026 — age 80

Everywhere you look there are remembrances of Dolly: tributes, Facebook posts. She was so many things to so many people. But you know the first thing that came to mind when I heard of her passing?

It was when someone thinks of America, I want them to think of Dolly Parton. 

Yes, we have had extraordinary military and political leaders. We have had trailblazers on so many fronts: civil rights, space, science. 

But Dolly embodied ALL of what is good in a person. 

She was kind.

She was a true rags to riches story — the embodiment of the American dream — she showed that with hard work and optimism you can achieve your dreams.

She never bemoaned her poor upbringing but used it to spur her on, and she celebrated her large, loving family.

Despite her wealth and success, she was humble and self-effacing.

She was never envious of others’ success. Rather she would help others be successful.

She used her fame and fortune for the good it might do for others, not for what it could do for herself.

She valued and loved her family and her marriage and nurtured and respected their privacy. 

And she embraced her faith. Though she never advertised it, neither did she shy away from talking or singing about it. It defined her very being.

Dollywood will continue to entertain millions; Imagination Library will continue to put books into little ones’ hands, encouraging them to become readers; and her songs and movies and quotes will continue to keep Dolly alive in our hearts.

Below is one of my favorite songs that Dolly sang with Zach Williams—“There was Jesus.”

​Now Dolly is singing “There is Jesus.”