Taylor Swift is remembering legendary country singer Dolly Parton, paying tribute following the news of her tragic passing at the age of 80.
In a statement shared with Variety, Swift spoke about Parton’s incredible legacy, beginning by saying that the news “doesn’t feel possible, real, or right.” Swift added that Parton was known for the “countless lives she changed for the better,” adding that her “legacy will be an everlasting one”
Parton passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 25, which came just four days after she was hospitalized in Nashville. It was later revealed that the country musician’s cause of death was a brief battle with cancer.
Read Taylor Swift’s Full Tribute
“A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right,” it reads. “But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.
“She was truly the gift that kept on giving. Dolly gave us someone to look up to while encouraging us to be who we are as individuals. Somehow she was able to give us her lessons about the world gently and honestly, simultaneously, and oftentimes hilariously. She managed to give the world the ultimate mystery and fantasy in some corners of her life, but to give full transparency in the ways that counted. Somehow she was true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person. She possessed the softest heart when it came to the struggles of others, and a backbone of steel to defend her own self worth as an artist.
“Along with her other fans, I am so grateful for all of it. For the melodies and lyrics she wrote that thawed even the coldest hearts. For the millions of books she provided children all over the world so that they might fall in love with stories the way she did. For the tightropes she walked so that young girls like me could grow up dreaming of joining the circus too.
“Dolly, I’ll think of you each step of the way.”
~ Taylor Swift
Dolly Part Sent Heartfelt Video Message To Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce on Their Wedding Day
In one of her final video messages before her passing, Parton sent a thank-you to Swift and her husband, Travis Kelce, for their donation to one of her charitable endeavors. She posted the video on July 3, which also happened to be the happy couple’s wedding day.
“Taylor and Travis, it’s Dolly, and I was just told that you two were making a donation of $2 million to my Imagination Library,” Parton said of the donation. “I’m blown away and overjoyed with that gratitude.”
“Now, it’s evident, that you have made giving back a key part of your lives, so hey, when you have you firstborn, can I have it? Because that is gonna be one special baby!” Parton joked, adding that their donation was going to help the organization “in bigger ways now with your money.”
“So, thank you, and know that I will always love you,” Parton concluded.
