Dolly Tribute

Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. She had been battling illness for the past several months. 2026 was a milestone year for Dolly, marking her 80th birthday, the 60th anniversary of her marriage to the late Carl Dean, the 40th anniversary of Dollywood, and the 30th anniversary of her Imagination Library. Born January 19, 1946, in Sevierville, Tennessee, Dolly Rebecca Parton rose from humble beginnings in the Great Smoky Mountains to become one of the most successful people in the entertainment world. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has written such classics as “Jolene,” “Love is Like a Butterfly,” and “I Will Always Love You,” the latter becoming a worldwide hit when recorded by Whitney Houston.

If you’re like me, the larger-thanlife Dolly Parton has intersected numerous phases of your story. My awareness of Dolly goes back nearly 60 years. Nashville’s WSMTV (now WSMV-TV) carried “The Porter Wagoner Show” (on which Dolly performed from 1967-1974) as part of its Saturday afternoon lineup of syndicated country music shows.