American singer Beyonce has paid a heartfelt tribute to country music icon Dolly Parton who died on Tuesday at the age of 80, prompting an outpouring of tributes from across the entertainment world.
According to a statement posted on Beyonce’s official website, beyonce.com, the superstar described Parton as a barometer and north star, praising her boldness, brilliance, talent and tenacity, and crediting her with teaching lessons on how to be uniquely oneself.
Beyonce expressed gratitude for Parton’s art, heart, generosity, humour and entrepreneurship, saying she was honoured to have had the privilege of working with her and would treasure the experience forever. She thanked Parton for her profound impact on the world, describing her as an angel who made the world a happier place through her joyful art, and calling her truly one of a kind.
Beyonce and Parton collaborated on the singer’s 2024 album Cowboy Carter. Parton appeared on the interlude titled Dolly P and contributed to the track Tyrant. Beyonce also recorded a reworked version of Parton’s classic hit Jolene for the album, which Parton publicly praised at the time.
BBC reports that other notable music figures have also paid tribute to the late icon.
Taylor Swift, quoted in the outlet’s report on Wednesday, said a world without Dolly did not feel possible, real, or right, but expressed confidence that her legacy would be everlasting given the countless lives she changed for the better through her generosity.
She described Parton as the gift that kept on giving, crediting her with giving people someone to look up to while encouraging them to be true to themselves as individuals. Swift said Parton embodied both true grace and true grit, possessing a soft heart for the struggles of others alongside a backbone of steel in defending her own worth as an artist, and pledged to think of her at every step ahead.
Sir Elton John was also reported to have described Parton as a giant of an artist, unique and irreplaceable, with the kindest heart, saying he was shocked and devastated by news of her death.
Sir Paul McCartney, who collaborated with Parton on a cover of Let It Be for her Rockstar album, reportedly said her death was deeply sad, describing her as a wonderful woman whose songwriting, singing and philanthropy were unrivalled in country music. He said it was hard to imagine a world without her, thanked her for the music she gave him and the world, and wished her peace, describing her as the best.
In her tribute, Oprah Winfrey was said to have written that Parton brought the light, and that everyone was better off because she had been here, wishing her God’s blessing and telling her she had earned her wings.
From Beyonce’s genre-bending Cowboy Carter collaboration to Taylor Swift’s reflections on the tightropes she walked for future generations of female artists, the tributes reveal how Parton’s music, wit and generosity shaped not just country charts but the wider entertainment landscape for decades.
PUNCH Online reports that after the announcement of Parton’s death at the age of 80, United States President Donald Trump ordered American flags across the country to be lowered for one week in her honour.
