Sir Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Sir Elton John have led a wave of tributes to music icon Dolly Parton, honouring her impact across the globe. The Beatles legend called Parton a "magnificent star", Oprah said she "brought the light" and the Rocket Man singer dubbed her a "giant of an artist" who was "irreplaceable". Parton died on Tuesday at the age of 80, after "a brief battle with cancer", her team said in a statement to CBS, the BBC's US partner.
Tributes have poured in from US presidents across the political spectrum and musicians across all genres, remembering her not just for her award-winning career, but her philanthropy and humble nature that transcended country music. McCartney reflected on his history with Parton, which began when he met her in Nashville at the Grande Ole Opry right before starting her solo musical career. "She was so bubbly and full of life, it is difficult to take in the news that she has passed," he said.
"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." John said he was "shocked and devastated" over the news. "A giant of an artist - unique and irreplaceable, with the kindest heart". Swift, who began her professional career in country music as a teen after moving to Nashville, has paid tribute to Parton's "true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person".
"A world without Dolly doesn't feel possible, real, or right," the singer said in a statement shared with the BBC. "But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one." As well as "melodies and lyrics she wrote that thawed even the coldest of hearts," Swift acknowledged "the millions of books she provided children all over the world so that they might fall in love with stories the way she did". She thanked Parton "for the tightropes she walked so that young girls like me could grow up dreaming of joining the circus too".
Beyoncé said Parton was the "barometer" and the "north star". You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself. I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship," Beyoncé wrote.
Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé's 2024 country album, famously featured a rendition of Parton's song Jolene. Former talk-show host Winfrey wrote that one of her fondest memories with Parton was "having a hoot and a holler while wearing Bob Mackie gowns on her show Dolly". "This girl from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee dreamed a life and then lived a life bigger than she could have ever imagined, giving so generously to others in ways we saw and ways we didn't." Parton's musical influence spanned generations, even inspiring the careers of a younger wave of female talent, including pop stars Sabrina Carpenter and Miley Cyrus.
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