Hollywood is mourning Dolly Parton, country musician, actress and philanthropist, who has died.
The “9 to 5” and “Jolene” singer had been contending with ongoing health issues, leading her to cancel appearances and shows in May and postpone a Las Vegas residency in September. Beloved in the music world, Hollywood and beyond, the outpouring of love for the country music icon can be felt from all corners of the entertainment industry.
Sabrina Carpenter posted a tribute to Instagram, writing “The only thing I could say after we met was ‘she really is an angel walking the earth’ and ‘we look like we could be sisters!’
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Parton featured on a deluxe version of Carpenter’s hit song “Please Please Please” from Man’s Best Friend.
“I will cherish our laughter and conversations and I will keep your wisdom, your playful outlook on life and perfect sense of humor in my pocket for the rainy days,” the “Manchild” singer continued. “There will never be another you and how lucky are we all to have experienced your singular magic as well as your once in a lifetime voice. Your light will be something the world will search forever to find again. I will always love you.”
Beyoncé, who covered Parton’s “Jolene” on her album Cowboy Carter and also featured the singer on “Tyrant,” put a statement on her website.
“You were the barometer. The North Star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious,” Beyoncé wrote. “You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself. I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship. I’m honored that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever.”
Actor Pedro Pascal called the singer songwriter “one of one,” adding “we must make more.”
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“Dolly Parton had a way of making everyone feel special, and seen, and welcomed, and as if you were old friends,” Kelly Clarkson posted to Instagram. “I will miss her heart and her voice as I am sure millions will. What an incredible gift and talent she was and still is with an amazing catalogue of art she has left behind for all of us.”
“I will certainly miss her laughter, jokes and her being,” Dionne Warwick wrote on Instagram. “Rest well and in total peace my friend.”
“I’m devastated,” Keke Palmer wrote on Instagram. “Truly.”
“I’m so sad right now. One of my favorite memories was taping the special “Carol and Dolly” in Nashville,” comedian Carol Burnett shared to Instagram. “We shot the week of Thanksgiving and Dolly made individual turkey dinners for every one of us, that she cooked herself. We were a family. That’s who she was.
Octavia Spencer called Parton “a gift to the world.”
“Your voice, your philanthropic heart, and warmth made us a feel seen and that the world was a pretty decent place,” the actress continued. “We miss you.”
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“Dolly taught us that you can be anything and do anything and to do it with kindness,” Colman Domingo wrote on X. “What a light. We are all grateful that we lived in a time of Dolly Parton. We will always love her.”
Still more tributes came from Lily Tomlin, Bette Midler, Patton Oswalt, Andy Cohen, Kristin Chenoweth, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kelly Osbourne, Brene Brown, the Jackson 5 Instagram account, the late Leslie Jordan’s Instagram account, Casey Rose Wilson, Holly Robinson Peete, Jill Wagner, Katharine McPhee Foster and The Muppets.
“They say don’t meet your heroes. Her bravery to know that she was more than they thought she was and that she needed to break away and move on into new work and new possibilities led her to write I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, as her way of thanking and loving, but moving on. She is a great example for us all,” actres Jamie Lee Curtis wrote in one post on Instagram.
“Thank you, Dolly,” Curtis said in another post. “For all of it.”
Singer Kacey Musgraves posted to X with a broken heart emoji, writing “This really hurts.”
“I cannot believe the world has lost @DollyParton OMG. I loved Dolly,” Boy George wrote. “Everyone loved Dolly!”
Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash posted, and singer Maren Morris wrote “there will never be another.”
“The last thing Dolly said to me was, ‘Bill Anderson – I Will Always Love You.’ She was looking me in the eye from the giant video screen in the Grand Ole Opry House on the Occasion of my 65th Opry anniversary a few weeks ago,” Bill Anderson said in a statement. “She was Smiling as only Dolly could, making my night even more special than it already was. The news of her passing has rocked my world, but as we sang together back in 2023, “Someday It’ll All Make Sense.”
Still more musicians — such as Mick Jagger, Cyndi Lauper, Paul McCartney, Barbara Streisand, Sheryl Crowe and Blake Shelton — have posted, and their tributes can be found below.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend, Dolly Parton,” Linda Ronstadt wrote on Facebook. “One of the most extraordinary musical experiences of my life was recording with her. The world is a poorer place without her.”
“We are all crushed here at our house,” Vince Gill said in a statement. “One of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard was when Dolly and I sang that last note of ‘I Will Always Love You’ the year we performed it on the CMA Awards.”
Keith Urban wrote “heartbroken today, Dolly Parton,” on his Instagram story. “Honestly…… I have no words right now.”
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“Shocked and devastated to hear of Dolly’s passing,” Sir Elton John wrote on his Instagram story. “A giant of an artist – unique and irreplaceable, with the kindest heart.”
Jack White of The White Stripes wrote “Instant Sainthood.”
“We’ve known Dolly a long time, and like everybody who was lucky enough to cross her path, we loved her,” the Bellamy brothers said in a statement. “Back in 2005, we got the chance to record “If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body” together. Dolly told us she’d always wanted to sing that song, and hearing her voice on it is something we’ll treasure even more today.”
The late Whitney Houston’s Instagram account posted the announcement to its story with Parton’s version of “I Will Always Love You” playing.
Snoop Dogg posted a video tribute captioned “Legends” that included Dolly, Whitney Houston and Elvis Presley. Musicians like Steve Perry of the band Journey, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Norah Jones and plenty more paid tribute as well, and their individual expressions of mourning can be found below. Her collaborator Kenny Rogers, who sang “Islands in the Stream” with Parton, remembers her as well.
“What a sad day for America what a sad day for the world what a sad day for the pardon family. Dolly!” Henry Winkler wrote. “We will miss you in more ways than one can say you were a treasure on this earth.”
Journalist Megyn Kelly described Parton as “as close to total goodness as any mere mortal could come.”
“She united us all in our love and admiration for her and, now, in mourning her,” Kelly continued. “God bless you Dolly. R.I.P.”
The Academy of Country Music and GLAAD released statements about the singer’s passing.
“Dolly Parton was not only the ‘Queen of Country Music’, but indeed the queen of inclusivity and philanthropy. Her support for LGBTQ people spans decades, from the 1990s with her track ‘Family,’ where she expressed that all should be welcome regardless of religion or sexual orientation; to the powerful ballad “Travelin’ Thru,” which Parton penned for the film “TransAmerica” and earned her an Oscar nomination; to her early support of marriage equality in 2009, well before its legalization,” GLAAD’s statement reads. “Parton’s warm spirit, kindheartedness and joie de vivre deeply resonated with the LGBTQ community, cementing her as a global queer icon whose art always held space for outsiders, no matter the risk. Parton’s entire career was built on love and respect for all, and her unwavering allyship is a legacy that will last forever.”
“The Academy is deeply saddened by the passing of Dolly Parton. She leaves behind a legacy that reaches far beyond the stage,” The Academy of Country Music said in a statement. “Through her unmistakable voice, unforgettable songs, generosity and larger-than-life spirit, she touched generations and made the world a little brighter.”
“The passing of Dolly Parton will be deeply felt throughout our membership. Her life and legacy of joy and creativity had an indescribable impact on the world. As a singer, songwriter, performer, business leader and all-around visionary, Dolly Parton’s talent is revered across generations,” said SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin. “Her basic humanity is known to the world and she is simply beloved by countless millions. Personally, from 9 to 5 when she effortlessly advanced the cause of professional women, to her Islands in the Stream collaboration with Kenny Rogers, I’m a true and forever fan. On behalf of SAG-AFTRA and my family, we send thoughts of love and condolence to her family.”
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“Before she was an icon, Dolly was a working musician,” says Tino Gagliardi, American Federation of Musicians International President said. “Dolly never forgot the musicians who helped bring her music to life. By standing firm for solidarity and treating every player with dignity, she elevated our entire profession.”
“Dolly was a monumental talent and trailblazer whose extraordinary artistry touched millions around the globe. For nearly three decades, we were lucky she called our record labels and publishing company home. She made songs that became part of our shared vocabulary and crossed genres and generations,” Sony Music Group said in a statement. “Her generosity was as extraordinary as her talent. She created opportunities for others that she herself never had. Dolly showed that an artist’s legacy is measured not only in songs, but in lives changed. “
Khloé Kardashian posted several slides to her Instagram story mourning the star.
“Some people are so extraordinary, their existence feels almost impossible,” she began. “Dolly was one of those people. A once-in-a-lifetime soul. A woman whose light, heart, talent and humanity changed this world forever.”
“To have admired her was a gift. To have met her, spent time in her presence, and somehow been lucky enough that Dolly Parton knew my name… I will never have words big enough for what that means to me,” Kardashian continued. “What an astronomical human being. What a legacy. What a loss. There will never be another Dolly.”
Read on for more tributes from Hollywood stars, musicians, authors and politicians:
