Nashville Pays Tribute to Dolly Parton After Death

NASHVILLE—Tennesseans paid tribute to Dolly Parton on Tuesday after the Queen of Country Music died peacefully at the age of 80.

Emotional fans laid bouquets of flowers around the 11-time Grammy winner’s star on the Music City Walk of Fame on Tuesday night, including Nashville local May Harrison, who brought extra flowers, electric tea lights, candles, and tissues for folks grieving the Songbird of the Smokies.

Harrison told The Epoch Times that the flowers represented the musician when she “was in bloom” and the tea lights were a way to thank her for being “such a light for everybody in the state.”

Mt. Juliet resident Melissa Ledbetter placed flowers on Parton’s star, adding, “We lost an angel, heaven gained an angel.”

Less than a block away on Nashville’s Broadway—a vibrant entertainment district filled with celebrity-themed bars and live music—performers sang greatest hits that the country music legend was known for.

Country music fans at Blake Shelton’s Ole Red bar sang along as musician Matt Rogers performed the ballad “I Will Always Love You” by the vocalist from the main stage.

The display of passion was echoed inside Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge when the band, One Last Troubadour, took off their cowboy hats and asked the audience to raise their drinks and honor “the genius Dolly Parton” before they performed the star’s 1973 hit “Jolene.”

One fan even dropped off flowers and a butterfly card outside of the newly constructed Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel, which is expected to open next month.

“Forever a legend,” the card read. “Forever in our hearts. Forever a spirit to guide us. Spread those butterfly wings. I will always love you, Maggie.”

A worker at a candy store nearby, who watched the SongTeller Hotel transform over recent months while walking to work, expressed sadness that the hitmaker would not be able to witness the grand opening of her building in the glow of Broadway.

“We didn’t expect that to be an end cap,” the woman, who did not want to be named, told The Epoch Times. “She was doing things here in Tennessee and elsewhere till the very end.”

Krista Niehaus swung by the unopened hotel to pay tribute to the icon’s life and legacy.

“What’s impressive is how much she was liked by everybody,” Niehaus said. “[It] didn’t matter who; everybody praised her and thought she was an awesome person.”

A billboard along I-40 and a sign outside of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center were just some of the many tributes across the area that honored the trailblazing artist.

The chart-topping singer’s team asked for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in lieu of flowers.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library expressed condolences and heartbreak over the loss.

“She was always proud that her little program grew into what it is today,” the library wrote in a Facebook post. “She was proudest of what it meant to her Dad. In her own words: ‘My Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done.’”

The foundation has sent more than 332 million books to kids since it was founded 31 years ago.

The entertainer was born in Tennessee’s Locust Ridge on Jan. 19, 1946, and released her first album “Hello, I’m Dolly” in 1967.

The country music sensation branched out of the entertainment industry and started multiple businesses, including Dollywood, an amusement park near where she grew up.

Dollywood, which opened in 1986, generated $1.8 billion and became Sevier County’s largest employer, giving jobs to more than 4,000 people, according to a state analysis in 2021.

“The greatest privilege of my life has been helping Dolly bring her dreams to life at Dollywood,” Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton said. “Dolly’s heart was as vast as the mountains she cherished, and her compassion knew no bounds. She inspired generations to dream boldly and love deeply.”

The park announced that it did not plan to close on the day following Parton’s passing.

“In her spirit, Dollywood will be open Wednesday, August 26 as Dolly wanted, always reminding everyone with her signature sparkle — ‘the show must go on,’” a notice on Dollywood’s website read.

One of Parton’s last completed ventures before she died was opening a bedazzled country music-themed truck stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, in June.

The location was made to serve as a home away from home for road trippers and tireless truck drivers who wanted to grab a cup of ambition.

“I’m sure some of you wonderin’ why I wanted a truck stop. Well, I couldn’t leave it to beavers,” Parton quipped to hundreds of fans who lined up to see her speak at the grand opening.

The travel stop honored the “9 to 5” singer on Tuesday with an Instagram post captioned, “We will always love you, Dolly. See you down the road.”

At the philanthropist’s request, a small and private service will be held for the immediate family. Her friends and fans are encouraged to pay tribute on social media or to leave a message on her website.