By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-26 07:52:00 | Updated at 2026-09-04 02:25:50
1 week ago
Nashville will always love you.
Tennesseans paid tribute to Dolly Parton on Tuesday after the Queen of Country Music died peacefully at the age of 80.
Emotional fans laid bouquets of flowers around the 11-time Grammy winner’s star on the Music City Walk of Fame on Tuesday night, including Nashville local May Harrison, who brought extra flowers, electric tea lights, candles and tissues for folks grieving the Songbird of the Smokies.
Harrison told the Epoch Times that the flowers represented the musician when she “was in bloom” and the tea lights were a way to thank her for being “such a light for everybody in the state.”
Mt. Juliet resident Melissa Ledbetter placed flowers on Parton’s star, adding, “We lost an angel, heaven gained an angel.”
Less than a block away on Nashville’s Broadway—a vibrant entertainment district filled with celebrity-themed bars and live music—performers sang greatest hits that the country music legend was known for.
Country music fans at Blake Shelton’s Ole Red bar sang along as musician Matt Rogers performed the ballad “I Will Always Love You” by the vocalist from the main stage.
The display of passion was echoed inside Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge when the band, One Last Troubadour, took off their cowboy hats and asked the audience to raise their drinks and honor “the genius Dolly Parton” before they performed the star’s 1973 hit “Jolene.”
One fan even dropped off flowers and a butterfly card outside of the newly constructed Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel, which is expected to open next month.
Tearful fans paid their respects to Dolly Parton at her star on the Music City Walk of Fame after she died on Aug. 25, 2026. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
Melissa Ledbetter laid a bouquet of flowers on Dolly Parton’s Music City Walk of Fame star and whispered “love you Dolly” on Aug. 25, 2026. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
“Forever a legend,” the card read. “Forever in our hearts. Forever a spirit to guide us. Spread those butterfly wings. I will always love you, Maggie.”
A worker at a candy store nearby, who watched the SongTeller Hotel transform over recent months while walking to work, expressed sadness that the hitmaker would not be able to witness the grand opening of her building in the glow of Broadway.
“We didn’t expect that to be an end cap,” the woman, who did not want to be named, told the Epoch Times. “She was doing things here in Tennessee and elsewhere till the very end.”
A fan left flowers and a card outside of Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel, which is set to open in the fall of 2026. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel is expected to open in the fall of 2026. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
Krista Niehaus swung by the unopened hotel to pay tribute to the icon’s life and legacy.
“What’s impressive is how much she was liked by everybody,” Niehaus said. “[It] didn’t matter who; everybody praised her and thought she was an awesome person.”
A billboard along I-40 and a sign outside of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center were just some of the many tributes across the area that honored the trailblazing artist.
The Schermerhorn Symphony Center honored Dolly Parton on Aug. 25, 2026, after the trailblazing artist died. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
The chart-topping singer’s team asked for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in lieu of flowers.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library expressed condolences and heartbreak over the loss.
“She was always proud that her little program grew into what it is today,” the library wrote in a Facebook post. “She was proudest of what it meant to her Dad. In her own words: ‘My Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done.’”
Dolly Parton spoke onstage during an event in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 06, 2024. Jason Kempin/Getty Images
The foundation has sent over 332 million books to kids since it was founded 31 years ago.
The entertainer was born in Tennessee’s Locust Ridge on Jan. 19, 1946, and released her first album “Hello, I’m Dolly” in 1967.
The country music sensation branched out of the entertainment industry and started multiple businesses, including Dollywood, an amusement park near where she grew up.
Dollywood, which opened in 1986, generated $1.8 billion and became Sevier County’s largest employer, giving jobs to more than 4,000 people, according to a state analysis in 2021.
Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Dreamstime/TCA
“The greatest privilege of my life has been helping Dolly bring her dreams to life at Dollywood,” Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton said. “Dolly’s heart was as vast as the mountains she cherished, and her compassion knew no bounds. She inspired generations to dream boldly and love deeply.”
The park announced that it did not plan to close on the day following Parton’s passing.
“In her spirit, Dollywood will be open Wednesday, August 26 as Dolly wanted, always reminding everyone with her signature sparkle -- ‘the show must go on,’” a notice on Dollywood’s website read.
One of Parton’s last completed ventures before she died was opening a bedazzled country music-themed truck stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, in June.
The location was made to serve as a home away from home for road trippers and tireless truck drivers who wanted to grab a cup of ambition.
Dolly Parton celebrated the opening of her new truck stop on June 24, 2026. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
Dolly Parton and her business partner, Gregory H. Sachs, cut the ribbon at their new truck stop on June 24, 2026. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
“I’m sure some of you wonderin’ why I wanted a truck stop. Well, I couldn’t leave it to beavers,” Parton quipped to hundreds of fans who lined up to see her speak at the grand opening.
The travel stop honored the “9 to 5” singer Tuesday with an Instagram post captioned, “We will always love you, Dolly. See you down the road.”
At the philanthropist’s request, a small and private service will be held for the immediate family. Her friends and fans are encouraged to pay tribute on social media or to leave a message on her website.
