Flags lowered across US for country music legend Dolly Parton / Photo: Robyn BECK - AFP/File
Flags lowered across US for country music legend Dolly Parton
Flags across the United States were flying at half-staff Wednesday and grieving fans gathered in the late country music star Dolly Parton's hometown in Tennessee as the nation paid tribute to the beloved cultural icon.
Parton, who rose from grinding poverty to become a rhinestone-studded entertainment giant with hits like "Jolene" and "9 to 5," has died at 80, her family announced Tuesday.
Parton was more than a singer -- she wrote 3,000 songs, starred in major Hollywood films and donated millions to charities in her home state and beyond.
She was also an accomplished businesswoman, with interests spanning from her popular Dollywood theme park to cosmetics, pet apparel, baking mixes and even a truck stop.
"Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus," her nephew Bryan Seaver said in a video announcing her death on social media.
He said the multiple award-winning artist -- known for her glittering style, curvy figure and larger-than-life blonde wigs -- had "opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life."
Parton died after a brief battle with cancer, her third cousin Brent Allen confirmed to AFP. Parton had recently spoken about unspecified health challenges.
"I feel like she's one of the last of the salt of the earth. She brought people together," Allen told AFP in Sevierville, the singer's hometown in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Parton's funeral will be small and private, People magazine said, citing the singer's representatives.
President Donald Trump called Parton's death a "true loss for millions of people."
"There has never been anyone like her, and never will," Trump said on social media.
He ordered flags lowered across the country, while New York's Empire State Building was to be lit in pink at 9:25 pm -- a nod to Parton's hit song and movie "9 to 5."
- 'Devastated' -
As the news of Parton's death spread, hundreds gathered in Sevierville to pay tribute.
Mourning fans laid flowers at a statue in the town which depicts Parton strumming an acoustic guitar.
"We've always called her our patron saint of Tennessee," fan Callie Konane Rickards told AFP.
Parton's death sparked a rare moment of unity in a country often bitterly at odds over Trump's presidency, the war against Iran and cultural issues.
Fellow country music star Carrie Underwood said on social media that Parton "was probably the one person on planet Earth that everyone loved and could agree on."
The Grand Ole Opry, America's temple of country music said: "May her legacy live on through her songs, the lives she touched, and the countless artists she inspired. There will never, ever be another one like her."
Parton's co-stars from "9 to 5," which sparked her soundtrack smash when it came out in 1980, expressed shock.
Oscar winner Jane Fonda said she was "devastated" while Lily Tomlin called her "the great harmonizer of humanity."
- A world 'less sparkly' -
Born in 1946 as one of 12 children in rural Tennessee, Parton headed for the country music capital Nashville right after graduating from high school.
By 1967, at age 21, she was among the most recognized figures in American music, having joined Porter Wagoner's syndicated country music television show that broadcast her voice and face into millions of US homes.
During a prolific career that spanned six decades, Parton penned some 3,000 tunes.
They included "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors" and the iconic ballad "I Will Always Love You," which became an international smash hit for Whitney Houston.
The "queen of country music" released 49 studio albums and more than 100 compilation and collaboration albums.
Never one to downplay her striking looks, Parton essentially wrote the book on how a woman can rule the airwaves in a male-dominated industry, ultimately becoming an American treasure with songs covered by everyone from Shania Twain to Sinead O'Connor.
Last year, Parton postponed a series of Las Vegas concerts, citing health concerns. In May, she canceled them altogether, sparking new fears among fans.
In videos posted to her social media accounts, she said that while treatment for an unnamed illness was going well, she was not ready to perform.
Just last week, she said in a statement to People magazine: "I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I'm gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life."
"She brought so many people together, we will all miss her so much," said Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.
M.Vecchiarelli--LDdC
