Dolly Parton‘s adoring family members and close friends made a mad dash for Nashville, where she’d been hospitalized since Thursday, after her health took a rapid and unexpected turn for the worse over the weekend of August 22. That’s per a new TMZ report that says they were told by sources that “Dolly’s team was coordinating travel for loved ones after her hospitalization, as the hours passed and it became increasingly clear her condition was worsening.”
GettyThe report goes on to say the outlet was told the people closest to Dolly were initially hopeful that she would recover and be released from the hospital, which has happened before in the past. However, everyone’s outlook changed when her condition quickly became more serious over the weekend, per the story.
Dolly’s nephew Bryan Seaver made the first public statement about her passing in a courageous video that shared on her Instagram page shortly before noon on Tuesday, August 25. A few hours later, media outlets such as People and TMZ reported that her reps confirmed her death followed a “brief battle with cancer.“
Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus are Among the Latest Celebrities to React
GettyThere has been a nonstop torrent of tributes across social media since yesterday’s announcement, and messages from fellow musicians Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé are among the latest.
The “Hannah Montana” phenom spoke out early Wednesday afternoon, writing alongside a glamorous black-and-white photo of Dolly in her younger years, “The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share.” She went on to say she considers many of the moments she spent with the superstar “private” and declared they will “stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts.”
Miley added that her heart breaks for the whole world as well as the “Jolene” singer’s family and friends, saying, “We’re in this loss together.”
Beyoncé, who collaborated with Dolly on a few portions of her 2024 album “Cowboy Carter,” penned an equally touching statement, which she released on her official website Tuesday evening. Her tribute read in part, “Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.”
Dolly Parton Previously Reacted to Beyoncé’s Reimagined Cover of ‘Jolene’
Speaking to E! News two years ago, Dolly gave Bey a stamp of approval for her lyric changes on her cover of her 1973 hit “Jolene.” She said, “I think it was very bold of her. When they said she was gonna do Jolene, I was expecting it to be my regular one, but it wasn’t. But I love what she did to it. As a songwriter, you love the fact that people do your songs, no matter how they do ’em.”
The icon then laughed, “She wasn’t gonna go beg some other woman, like I did! Get outta here, you ain’t stealin’ my man!”
