Tributes continue to pour in for the late Dolly Parton after the music icon’s passing this week at age 80.
Those tributes have come from former presidents and some of the most celebrated entertainers in Hollywood, and the latest to honor Parton is actor Vin Diesel.
Vin Diesel Honors Dolly Parton in Song
The “Fast and the Furious” star took to Instagram, sharing a black-and-white photo of Parton.
While the caption was a single praying-hands emoji, the photo was accompanied by an audio track.
That featured Diesel singing a heartfelt a cappella cover of Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” a tender and evocative vocal performance.
Diesel’s Musical Tribute
GettyDiesel’s vocal stylings earned high praise from his fans — while others were shocked to discover his talent as a singer.
“You nailed it king! Thank you!” wrote one commenter.
“This was a beautiful tribute, Vin,” added another, while another commenter implored the actor to “release the full version on streaming.”
“This is how I find out Vin Diesel can sing?” wrote another, clearly surprised by the tough-guy action star’s talent as a vocalist.
“Vin, you never cease to amaze me. You are a man of many talents. A once in a generation actor, writer and now singer? Save some talent for the rest of us buddy!” read one comment.
Another comment summed it up, reading, “Didn’t have ‘Crying to Vin Disel singing’ on my list today but here we are.”
A Hit for the Ages
Originally written by Parton as a breakup ballad to her former musical partner Porter Wagoner when she decided to embark on a solo career, “I Will Always Love You” went on to transcend its origins, becoming one of the most iconic love songs in the history of pop music.
Interestingly, Elvis Presley was eager to record it in the 1970s. That thrilled Parton — until she learned that the King’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded that he receive co-writing credit that would give him 50 percent of the song’s royalties. Parton balked, and a deal could not be reached. Presley reportedly regretted passing on what could have become a chart-topping comeback that could have changed the course of his career.
Meanwhile, it’s also true that Whitney Houston‘s version for “The Bodyguard” soundtrack wound up becoming a far bigger hit than Parton’s original version.
Houston’s cover hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 on November 28, 1992, and remained at No. 1 for a staggering 14 consecutive weeks.
Meanwhile, Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” also topped the Adult Contemporary and R&B charts at the same time, for five straight weeks on each of those charts.
The song was ultimately certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America for 10 million equivalent units, later reaching 11x Platinum.
During an interview with Oprah Winfrey (via Yahoo! Entertainment), Parton recalled her reaction the first time she heard Houston singing her song on the radio. “I was shot so full of adrenaline and energy, I had to pull off, because I was afraid that I would wreck, so I pulled over quick as I could to listen to that whole song,” Parton recalled. “I could not believe how she did that. I mean, how beautiful it was that my little song had turned into that, so that was a major, major thing.”
Sorry but this is terrible.