The tribute floodgates opened for Dolly Parton on Tuesday as fellow musicians, acting co-stars and politicians, including President Trump and former President Obama, mourned the loss of a musician, actor and shrewd businesswoman who was also a generous philanthropist and humanitarian.
For many, there were simply “No words,” as Parton’s “9 to 5” co-star Lily Tomlin posted on Instagram, punctuated with a broken-heart emoji, next to a black-and-white photo of the pair in their youth.
“Jane Fonda, the third star in the “9 to 5” trifecta, said, “I am devastated.”
She wanted the millions of mourners to understand one key thing about her longtime friend: “I want to say this – more than anyone I have ever known, Dolly will always be with us because she was so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever,” Fonda wrote. “I never knew anyone like her. She was simultaneously a naughty, playful southern gal from the hollows of Tennessee and a deep, soulful thinker who could see through people right down to their true selves.”
The White Stripes frontman Jack White, who famously covered her iconic hit “Jolene,” summed her up succinctly with, “Instant Sainthood.”
“Dolly. This one really, really hurts,” country singer Kacey Musgraves posted on X. “The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden. So glad she’s with her Carl Dean. No one talk to me today.”
Dean, Parton’s husband of nearly 59 years, died in March last year at age 82.
“The Heavenly Father has made the decision to bring another of his children to him,” singer Dionne Warwick said in a statement Tuesday. “Dolly a true child of God is in the best hands now.”
Reba McEntire posted as soon as she “got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side,” she wrote on Instagram. “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.”
“If there are truly angels on earth, then we have just lost one. Dolly Parton,” actress Sally Field posted. “There will never be another. I adored her with all my heart and will always cherish our time together. Forever. Rest in peace, beautiful Dolly.”
Posting pictures of Parton in New York City, including one of her performing in front of City Hall, Mayor Mamdani called the cherished songstress “an extraordinary person and an irreplaceable champion of the working class.”
“We are a better country because of her,” he said.
Empire State Building staffers announced Tuesday that they would change its tower lights to pink for one hour in tribute to Parton’s memory.
President Trump said flags would be flown at half staff for a week starting at 6 p.m. as he announced the singer’s death.
“Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Former President Obama noted Parton’s philanthropic work.
“It’s hard to imagine many people having a bigger impact than Dolly Parton,” Obama said on X. “Born in a one-room cabin, she earned 11 Grammys and an Emmy, built a business empire, helped millions of kids learn to read, and — as if that wasn’t enough — helped accelerate the research that led to the Moderna COVID vaccine. What a life.”
“Michelle and I are thinking of Dolly’s family and her many, many fans,” he added.
Former President Bill Clinton also praised Parton’s legacy.
“Dolly Parton was one of a kind—a great songwriter and performer who told the stories of everyday Americans with honesty, humility, and heart,” he wrote on X. “She rose high from her East Tennessee roots and never forgot where she came from. And she always believed in giving back, especially in her efforts to promote literacy.”
Clinton remembered that he and Hillary “were big fans and first saw her in 1974.”
“(We) will always be grateful for the music and the memories,” he said.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and a host of other politicians paid tribute as well.
The well-known champion of LGBTQ issues also drew accolades for her work in that sphere as the “queen of inclusivity and philanthropy,” the advocacy organization GLAAD said in a statement.
In the same vein, institutions that had honored Parton in the past honored her again.
“Dolly Parton’s legacy is not celebrity, but humanity,” Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young said in a statement. “She was a champion of equality and literacy. She was a picture of dignity, even when dressed outrageously. Anyone who seeks to be more like Dolly is on the right track, but they’ll never get to the finish line. She came from poverty to become the most important native of Tennessee. She shared her fortunes for the good of all of us, and shared her soul in every note she sang.”