Dolly
What a talent. What a woman. What a story. At age 80, Dolly Parton has passed away.
There is much to admire...
Her career spanned 60 years. She made 50 studio albums. She won eleven Grammys, three Emmys, and was nominated by the Academy, Golden Globes, Tonys and more.
She sold more than 100 million records. She had 25 singles reach Billboard’s #1. She wrote more than 3,000 songs — including Whitney’s iconic “I Will Always Love You.”
But perhaps was amazes me more about this beautiful soul is how deeply and widely she is loved…
“Dolly Parton had a way of making everyone feel special, and seen, and welcomed, and as if you were old friends. 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.” — Kelly Clarkson
“Shocked and devastated to hear of Dolly’s passing. A giant of an artist - unique and irreplaceable, with the kindest heart.” — Elton John
“Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth. Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart. There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang. Thank you, Lord, for Dolly. She’s gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her. ” — Reba McEntire
I think what was so unique about Dolly is that we couldn’t put her in any kind of box. What I mean by that is we seem to have this human tendency thinking we’ve figured someone fully out, know how they think, how they do/don’t align with us, and then put them in this imaginary box that we put up on the proverbial shelf and always keep the person within. What amazes me about Dolly is that she always surprised us; she never fit in any kind of box. She brought joy and song for over six decades to a plethora of people from every age and demographic…
That’s my girl.
I love her so.
The grief today is real.
The grief is real because Dolly was real. As the Grand Ole Opry wrote yesterday — where Dolly Parton first performed at age 13, “She taught us to always lead with kindness, generosity, and compassion.” She didn’t seem to leave anyone out. There was no one undeserving of her love and respect.
She encouraged. She inspired. She shined.
She was witty. She was clever. And she was still able to rock those leather pants.
As Dolly long shared that her faith was central to her life, no doubt such is what founded her authenticity… “My faith impacts everything that I do... I believe in forgiveness because if God can forgive you, so can I”… “Take care of others. Pray for others. Give without conditions. Just love this whole human family the way God loves us, unconditionally! ... The Bible says that all the way through”… And… “I don't want to be worshiped, because there's a scripture in my Bible that talks about idol worship. And I see that happening all the time with movie stars and these celebrities. People literally worship them more than they worship God. And I just — I…”
Dolly knew who God is. She knew who she is, too.
What a life. What a story. Well done, Dolly. Well done.
Graciously…
AR
