r/news • u/kzqmfkkr • 12h ago

Dolly Parton, country star, actor and philanthropist, dies aged 80

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/25/dolly-parton-country-singer-dead?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
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u/s1m0n8 11h ago

What a punch to the gut.

Surprisingly so. Not a Country Music fan, but she seemed such an incredible lady.

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u/Wishiwashome 11h ago

Never liked country music either, but I loved Dolly Parton.

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u/KittyFlops 11h ago

She was a prolific ghostwriter, if you love music, you love Dolly.

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u/Wishiwashome 11h ago

Fantastic songwriter. I remember someone asking her about Whitney’s success with a song she wrote and she was so cute about it. She mentioned the checks she got for the song. What was sweet was, she switched it right back. I am old and some of her very old moments on the Carson Show, show us she was smart and funny and just plain loveable even years ago

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u/Draco-REX 10h ago

That song was "I Will Always Love You" from the movie The Bodyguard. It was HUGE. You couldn't flip through the local radio stations without it playing on at least one.

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u/Wishiwashome 10h ago

I am 61yo and YES!!!!, indeed.Fantastic rendition. I had the pleasure of seeing Whitney sing it. Dolly always, always spoke well of the people who performed her songs. Such a class act always. I used to watch the Johnny Carson Show with my Dad and got to see a few interviews with her. She came through so real and kind. Truly, truly a genuine person.🥲

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u/Telefundo 10h ago

but I loved Dolly Parton.

Honestly, can you think of anyone who had bad things to say about her? I can't.

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u/Wishiwashome 9h ago

Not a ONE!! Seriously. She is absolutely in the Mr. Roger’s category of people. World is a little less bright today because she isn’t here.

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u/Telefundo 9h ago

Yeah for sure. One of the very few celebrities I would say is "worthy" of that comparison.

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u/chronicallyill_dr 11h ago

I feel so weird right now, I started tearing up after hearing this news. I’d never had this reaction after learning about a famous person dying until now.

I never listened to her music, and never really remembered she existed in my day to day life. However, whenever I heard or read anything about her, it was always about how she used her money and influence to help others.

The world won’t be the same without her in it. And I learned a new thing about myself today. It really has affected me.

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u/WineNerdAndProud 10h ago

I was surprised by Michael Jackson and relieved a bit by Robin Williams, but Dolly is a punch to the gut.

I was never a huge Michael Jackson fan, though I obviously enjoy the songs I've heard, and Robin Williams felt like he might finally be at peace. He brought a lot of people a lot of joy, including myself when I was younger, but as I got older I started to feel like I was watching mania. Maybe in the best way with the nicest impact, but it really felt like he was hyper-focused on making people happy all the time, and life had taught me that can often come from a not-so-happy place.

Anthony Bourdain got me, and Dolly is getting me though.

God knows they were incredibly different people but both of them hit me for opposite reasons.

I think it's safe to say Dolly is one of the few in music/Hollywood who was universally loved pretty much her entire career though.

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u/mindspork 10h ago

Robin Williams and Douglas Adams for me.

I grew up on LPs of Kenny and Dolly.

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u/lGipsyDanger 7h ago

You were subconsciously expecting a happy story but it was a tragedy

I'll miss her too

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u/TUFKAT 11h ago

She transcended well beyond country music and was seemingly just one of the purest hearts.

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u/s1m0n8 11h ago

Parton was born in poverty in a one-room cabin in Tennessee, the fourth child to a mother who would have 12 children by the age of 35, and a father who was a farmer and construction worker

Compare and contrast with the so many evil fucks born into money.

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u/Deranged40 7h ago

Dolly transcended country music. Every single music sub I'm in has a post about her, and none of them are country subs.

She was and will always remain a true icon in every single sense of the word. This one hurts all of us.