Country music legend Dolly Parton, who passed away peacefully at age 80 in Nashville on Tuesday, was described by singer Lee Greenwood as a commanding performer, gifted songwriter, and devoted patriot.
According to a statement from her official website, Parton died after a brief battle with cancer. Her husband of nearly five decades, Carl Dean, had passed away in March 2025.
Greenwood, who knew Parton for approximately four decades, shared his admiration for her during an interview on “Bianca Across the Nation.”
“Dolly was magnificent,” he said. “When she walked into a room, she got everybody’s attention immediately.”
The singer noted Parton’s musical talent emerged early in life. “Music was with her from the very beginning. She was the fourth of twelve children born in a holler in East Tennessee,” Greenwood explained.
He recounted how Parton developed her skills at a young age to escape her rural upbringing, eventually learning guitar and band performance before launching her songwriting career.
Greenwood emphasized that Parton remained a constant presence throughout his six-decade musical journey. “For every decade and phase of my career, I remember a song of hers on the radio,” he said. “It was always Dolly, always Dolly.”
During an encounter at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Greenwood recalled Parton discussing the dangers of making eye contact with audiences: “She was very engaging, but she said it’s dangerous because when I do that, I have a tendency to forget lyrics,” he added.
Parton’s impact on American music is profound. She recorded enduring hits including “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You.” She earned ten Grammy Awards and received fifty-five nominations from the Recording Academy.
Greenwood described her influence across multiple domains: “She was a powerhouse for music, she was a powerhouse for women, and she was a powerhouse for children and their reading.”
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to provide free books to young children, distributing over three hundred million books worldwide. She also demonstrated strong military support through her recordings and service, including performing “God Bless the U.S.A.” on her 2003 patriotic album “For God and Country” and conducting USO tours.
“She’s a serious American citizen,” Greenwood said. “Whenever she sees a soldier, she says, ‘Thank you.’ She represents all of us — women, but she remembers all Americans.”
Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 and released a rock album titled “Rockstar” the following year.
Greenwood concluded his tribute by echoing Parton’s signature song: “We will always love you, Dolly.”
