Jenna Bush Hager is remembering Dolly Parton for the kindness she showed her during one of the most difficult moments of her life.
“As I write this, Dolly’s music is being played in the restaurant where I am eating,” Hager began her tribute. “She was a legend. Her voice was unparalleled, but it was her utter originality and purity of spirit that will be sorely missed.”
Hager went on to recall a deeply personal memory from the day she interviewed Parton in Knoxville, Tennessee. According to People, Hager had just received the news that her grandmother and namesake, Jenna Welch, had passed away.
“I was already with her in Knoxville so she held me and gave me such grace,” Hager wrote of Parton. “I’ll never forget that kindness.”
Jenna Bush Hager Remembers Dolly Parton’s ‘Grace’
Hager’s grandmother, who was the mother of former first lady Laura Bush, passed away in 2019. Hager was already with Parton when she learned the news, making the singer’s response something she continued to remember years later.
“We needed all that glitter and goodness,” Hager wrote in her tribute. “She gave with all that she was.”
Hager had interviewed Parton several times over the years for “TODAY.” During their 2019 conversation at Dollywood, the two discussed Parton’s passion for reading and her work promoting children’s literacy through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Parton told Hager that her father, Robert Lee Parton, was the inspiration behind the program. Although she described him as the smartest person she ever knew, he was unable to read or write.
“My dad was the smartest person I ever knew, but he couldn’t read and write, and that always bothered him,” Parton said.
Parton wanted to create something that would make her father proud. He lived long enough to hear children call his daughter the “Book Lady,” something she said meant a great deal to both of them.
“He was as proud of that as me being a star,” Parton said. “So I felt like I brought honor to my dad through that.”
Dolly Parton Remembered Following Her Passing at 80
Parton passed away at a Nashville hospital on Aug. 25, according to TODAY. Her passing came weeks after she addressed recent health concerns with fans, including experiencing dizziness and dehydration. At the time, Parton said things had gone well medically and that she was continuing to work on her other projects.
News of her passing prompted tributes from across the entertainment industry. Reba McEntire, Patti LaBelle, Kelly Clarkson, Dionne Warwick, Kacey Musgraves and Parton’s “9 to 5” co-star Lily Tomlin were among those who publicly remembered the singer.
Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her passing in a prerecorded video, according to People. A small, private service for immediate family is planned at Parton’s request. Her family has also encouraged fans to honor her through donations to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in lieu of flowers.
For Hager, however, her tribute focused on the woman she personally experienced away from Parton’s legendary career and public persona. She closed her message by encouraging others to carry that same kindness forward.
“May we take just a little of her beauty and pass it on.”
