Dolly Parton: An American great and a great American

God bless the superb Dolly Parton, who passed away Tuesday in Nashville, the Music City.To call her the Queen of Country is both true and not. The genius who wrote “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” on the same day was certainly a country music icon.But Parton transcended genre, and a one-room cabin in Tennessee, to become an icon for all Americans.In 1980, she starred in the hit comedy “9 to 5,” while her theme song for the film hit No.

1 simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100, adult contemporary and country charts.She was as big as her hair.We dare you to find anyone who didn’t like Dolly.

She never had a bad word to say about anyone, and her sly wit mostly took aim at her own flashy persona. “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap,” she quipped, and later said that quote would likely go on her tombstone.Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email.

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Parton’s genius as a self-created icon paved the way for generations of female artists. Madonna, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus (her goddaughter) all plainly owe some performative debt to Dolly.She advanced and supported the cause of women — and the cause of decency — by being who she was. Dolly grew up dirt poor, and never forgot where she came from: Her Dollywood Foundation may be the model for making a difference in a community — and through it, in the world, as the Imagination Library, inspired by her father’s illiteracy, has mailed out over 300 million books to children (one a month from birth until they start school) and also gone global via partnerships.She led a private personal life built around her love for her husband of 59 years, Nashville contractor Carl Dean, who shunned spotlights but kept the home fires burning for his beloved wife.Their marriage, vibrant until Carl’s death in 2025, i...