FILE – Dolly Parton poses for a photo at her office in Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 11, 2005. (AP Photo/John Russell, File)
Tributes continue to pour in for Dolly Parton following her death Tuesday, August 25, at the age of 80.
From country music legends who knew and worked with Dolly for decades to actors who shared the screen with her and artists who grew up idolizing her, here are some of the tributes that have been shared in her memory.
Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton recalled getting the opportunity to spend time with Dolly when he and Gwen Stefani worked with her on The Voice.
“I can say with absolute certainty that we are all feeling the same heart brokenness today,” Shelton wrote.
“I only got to spend any real time with Dolly when Gwen and I got to work with her on The Voice. I want everyone to know that she was the EXACT person that you think she is. It was like being with the funnest, most loving, most caring and closest member of your family.”
Shelton ended his tribute, “Truly a loss for the entire world. We love you Dolly.”
Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire remembered Dolly as both a country music legend and a friend.
“Well, I just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side,” Reba wrote.
“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.”
Reba ended her tribute with an appropriate goodbye: “I will always love you, Reba.”
George Strait
George Strait kept his tribute simple.
“You’ve had such a huge impact on so many people all over the world, Dolly Parton,” Strait wrote. “We will all miss you. May God bless the Parton family.”
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves wrote:
“This really really hurts. The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden.”
She also shared a touching message about Dolly being reunited with her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died in 2025.
“So glad she’s with her Carl Dean.”
Vince Gill
Vince Gill shared a memory of singing one of Dolly’s most famous songs alongside her.
“We are all crushed here at our house,” Gill wrote.
“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.”
Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson’s tribute was short and sweet.
“They’ll never be another one like you, Dolly Parton! The world won’t forget you. Now go shake up heaven.”
Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw called Dolly “the blueprint” for the entertainers who followed her.
“She was an icon and showed us all what was possible, not only as a human but as an entertainer,” McGraw wrote.
“She was the blueprint, head and shoulders above anyone that came before her and all those of us that have come after. Everything she did, she did it with kindness, grace and that famous wit and smile.”
McGraw added, “It’s been hard to not be in tears all day. There will never be another Dolly Parton.”
Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood shared a lengthy tribute to Dolly and the example she set throughout her life.
“There aren’t words to describe what you mean to the world, Dolly,” Yearwood wrote. “What I do know is that you have always been a light, and now you are shining brighter than we can imagine. Our job now is to keep that light alive.”
Yearwood then asked, “WWDD?”
Her answer: “Love one another. You walked the walk.”
“To say your energy in this life will be missed is an understatement. We will always love you.”
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood remembered Dolly’s faith and the way she treated those around her.
“She’s not gone. I know exactly where she is,” Underwood wrote. “She was the epitome of faith, grace, talent, beauty and humor.”
Underwood also remembered Dolly as someone who made everyone around her feel special and as one of the rare people almost everyone seemed to love.
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt, who recorded the Trio albums with Dolly and Emmylou Harris, remembered making music with her longtime friend.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend, Dolly Parton,” Ronstadt wrote.
“One of the most extraordinary musical experiences of my life was recording with her. The world is a poorer place without her.”
Keith Urban
Keith Urban shared a brief message following the news, writing that he was “heartbroken” and had “no words right now.”
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson remembered his longtime friend and fellow country music legend by sharing a video of the two performing together.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift wrote about how difficult it was to imagine a world without Dolly.
“A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right,” Swift wrote.
She described Dolly as “true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person.”
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson remembered Dolly’s ability to make the people she met feel immediately welcome.
“Dolly Parton had a way of making everyone feel special, and seen, and welcomed, and as if you were old friends,” Clarkson wrote.
Clarkson also remembered Dolly’s heart and unmistakable voice, calling her an incredible gift and talent.
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney paid tribute to Dolly’s impact as both an artist and philanthropist.
“Her songwriting, her singing and her philanthropy were unrivaled in the world of country music and it is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly,” McCartney wrote.
McCartney also said there was “no greater honour” than having Dolly record the Beatles classic “Let It Be” for her 2023 album Rockstar.
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge admitted it was difficult to find the words to describe Dolly.
“Words fail me today, words to describe the spirit that was Dolly,” Etheridge wrote.
She ended her tribute, “We are a better world because she walked among us.”
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth called Dolly her “ultimate inspiration.”
“The world has lost one of the best but I know we will never forget her because she is impossible to forget,” Chenoweth wrote.
“I love you Dolly and I will ALWAYS love you.”
Bette Midler
Bette Midler wrote:
“Our beloved Dolly Parton has died. I am devastated, and I’m sure the nation will mourn her as I do, and for many years to come.”
Midler added, “She had a voice of pure gold and a heart to match.”
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis shared a simple message about what it was like to actually meet one of her heroes.
“They say don’t meet your heroes. They were wrong about her,” Curtis wrote.
“She is a great example for us all.”
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda, Dolly’s 9 to 5 costar and longtime friend, shared an emotional tribute.
“Let’s be grateful for all that she has left us to ease our sadness now. I never knew anyone like her,” Fonda wrote.
She described Dolly as “the voluptuous embodiment of empathy.”
“That’s something of hers she’d want us all to take with us.”
Sally Field
Sally Field, who starred alongside Dolly in Steel Magnolias, remembered her friend as an angel on earth.
“If there are truly angels on earth, then we have just lost one. Dolly Parton,” Field wrote. “There will never be another.”
“I adored her with all my heart and will always cherish our time together. Forever.”
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon revealed that Dolly continued to send her words of encouragement throughout her career.
“Throughout my entire career, she sent me little notes of encouragement and support, telling me to be the light in people’s lives and listen to my angels,” Witherspoon wrote.
She said Dolly would sign those notes with four familiar words:
“I will always love you.”
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick remembered Dolly’s faith in her tribute.
“The Heavenly Father has made the decision to bring another of his children to him,” Warwick wrote. “Dolly a true child of God is in the best hands now.”
As more tributes are shared, one thing is clear: Dolly Parton’s impact reached far beyond the songs she wrote and the records she made.
For the people who actually knew her, Blake Shelton’s words may say it best.
“She was the EXACT person that you think she is.”
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