Country Superstar and Queer Icon Dolly Parton Dies at 80

Dolly Parton, the beloved country singer, songwriter, entertainer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and queer icon, who has become an American icon died on Tuesday in Nashville at the age of 80.

In the announcement posted on social media by her nephew, there was no cause provided for her passing. Parton, who served as one of the very few uniting forces in the United States, lived the quintessential rags-to-riches story: growing up poor in Appalachia to conquering the biggest stages in her dazzling way.

From “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene” to “9 to 5” and “Coat of Many Colors,” Parton’s music spoke to all of us, becoming the soundtrack to heartbreak, perseverance, loss and, mostly, hope. Inducted into both the country music and rock ‘n’ roll halls of fame, Parton’s sound defined country music, with her being the top-ranking singer on the country charts from 1967 to 1993. She explored bluegrass, disco, and classic rock throughout her work and inspired generations of female songwriters from Kacey Musgraves and Carrie Underwood to Taylor Swift and Beyonce. As part of “The Trio” with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt they put out two albums that continue to stand as a testament to the heartbreaking lyricism Parton was capable of.

Parton has stayed busy appearing with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus at events throughout the years, appearing on Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter songs “DOLLY P” and “TYRANT,” joined Post Malone on his country album and even joined Sabrina Carpenter on a duet version of “Please, Please, Please.”

Her iconic look, full of sequins, sky-high hair, acrylic, banjo-playing nails, and glittery eyeshadow, has become immediately recognizable within pop culture and drag culture. As an actress, Parton appeared in iconic films like working girl comedy “9 to 5” and beloved southern story “Steel Magnolias.”

Parton has been a longtime ally to the LGBTQ+ community. Hosting “Gay Day” at her theme park Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, brought unwanted attention from the KKK. “When it first started there were people giving us threats, I still get threats…But like I said, I’m in business. I just don’t feel like I have to explain myself. I love everybody,” Parton told ABC News in 2012.

In 2009, Parton backed marriage equality, in 2016 she advocated against North Carolina’s bathroom bans, and recently advocated for marriage equality in Australia. “Why can’t they be as miserable as us heterosexuals in their marriages?…Hey, I think love is love,” she told Australian show News Breakfast.

Parton also famously lost to drag queens in a Dolly Parton look-alike contest. “All these beautiful drag queens had worked for weeks and months getting their clothes. So I just got in the line and I just walked across, and they just thought I was some little short gay guy.. but I got the least applause,” she told ABC News in 2012.

As a philanthropist, Parton dedicated herself to advancing literacy rates inspired by her own father’s inability to read and write. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has delivered over 270 million free books to the over 3 million children registered throughout the world. Parton also donated $1 million toward Covid-19 vaccine research, pledged $1 million for Hurricane Helen relief and launched the Buddy Program in her home county, encouraging local students to graduate from high school, lowering the dropout rate from 35% to 6%.

May the love, warmth, and radical kindness of Dolly’s coat of many colors wrap around us as the years pass, reminding us that there will always be room within it for all of us.