Tributes poured in on Tuesday as the news spread about the death of country music legend Dolly Parton.
The 80-year-old, who had 25 No. 1 country hits and two chart-toppers on the Billboard Hot 100, was a singer, actress and philanthropist. Her loss was felt inside and outside of the entertainment business.
[ Dolly Parton dies at 80: Remembering an icon ]
Miley Cyrus, Partonβs goddaughter who covered the siongerβs 1973 hit βJolene,β tweeted that her βheart aches.β
βI canβt believe we just lost the purest soul,β read the tweet from Cyrusβ official X account. βRest in Glory, Dolly.β
I can't believe we just lost the purest soul. Rest in Glory, Dolly. My heart aches. pic.twitter.com/EXLcyB0AJn
— Miley Official (@MileyCyrusBz) August 25, 2026
Fellow country singer Reba McEntire tweeted that βThere will never ever be another you.β
βThank you, Lord, for Dolly,β McEntire wrote. βSheβs gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her.
Iβll never forget the first time I met you and Iβll never forget our last conversation. I hold it with love in my heart."
Well, I just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side.
— Reba McEntire (@reba) August 25, 2026
Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth.
Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart.
There will never ever be another you.
We⦠pic.twitter.com/qpbvKUNbiM
Country singer Blake Shelton, who worked with Parton on βThe Voice,β tweeted that βI can say with absolute certainty that we are all feeling the same heart brokenness today.β
βI want everyone to know that she was the EXACT person that you think she is,β Shelton tweeted. βIt was like being with the funnest, most loving, most caring and closest member of your family. Truly a loss for the entire world. We love you Dolly.
I can say with absolute certainty that we are all feeling the same heart brokenness today. I only got to spend any real time with Dolly when Gwen and I got to work with her on The Voice. I want everyone to know that she was the EXACT person that you think she is. It was like⦠pic.twitter.com/9ycD4lSpO9
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) August 25, 2026
Actress Sally Field, who starred with Parton in the 1989 film βSteel Magnolias,β wrote in an Instagram post that the world βhad lost an angel.β
[ Dolly Parton: Here are 5 signature hits from the βQueen of Countryβ ]
βThere will never be another,β Field wrote. βI adored her with all my heart and will always cherish our time together.
Actor Seth MacFarlane called Partonβs death βdevastatingβ and said that the world was βa dimmer placeβ without her.
βI had the extraordinary experience of working with her on The Orville, and it was a joy to discover that she really was exactly the person we all hoped she was,β MacFarlane tweeted. βHer kindness, generosity, and authenticity were evident from moment one, and the benign yet assured command she maintained over her empire was obvious from the genuine love and trust you could see from everyone who worked for her.β
The news of Dolly Partonβs passing is devastating. I had the extraordinary experience of working with her on The Orville, and it was a joy to discover that she really was exactly the person we all hoped she was. Her kindness, generosity, and authenticity were evident from momentβ¦ pic.twitter.com/xVf2ZokZLO
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) August 25, 2026
The U.S. Department of the Interior tweeted that βwhile we may no longer see her working 9 to 5, we will always love her.β
βHereβs to Dolly, who made our world a little more beautiful.β
Dolly Parton carried the music, stories and spirit of her Tennessee mountain home wherever she went. She was a lifelong champion of the Great Smoky Mountains and proudly shared her love for them with the world.
— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) August 25, 2026
While we may no longer see her working 9 to 5, we will always love⦠pic.twitter.com/9CMx6M3giO
In Partonβs home state of Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee wrote on X that the Volunteer State has βforever been changed β enhancedβ by her.
βRare is the one who climbs to the pinnacle of fame, then scoffs at its allure, only to retain the genuine humility that defines them,β he said. Parton was βone of a kind, who loved people, her work, her family, and her Lord.β
Rare is the one who climbs to the pinnacle of fame, then scoffs at its allure, only to retain the genuine humility that defines them.
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) August 25, 2026
Dolly Parton was one of a kind, who loved people, her work, her family, and her Lord. Tennessee has forever been changed β enhanced β by her, andβ¦ pic.twitter.com/J5dfzOZZyY
President Donald Trump said he is ordering flags lowered to half-staff to honor Parton.
βThis is a true loss for millions of people,β Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said that Parton βwas an American icon who brought people together and spread joy.β
1/2 Dolly Parton was an American icon who brought people together and spread joy. In Kentucky, she shared her love of reading through her Imagination Library, sparking brighter futures for thousands of children across our commonwealth. pic.twitter.com/yG427rIpd6
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) August 25, 2026
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn wrote in a Facebook post that Partonβs passing βleaves a void that no one can ever fill.β
βThere are no words to adequately express the sorrow our family and indeed, all Tennesseans, feel in the loss of Dolly Parton,β Blackburn wrote. βAn iconic leader who loved our great state and nation.β
Former President Bill Clinton praised Parton as a great songwriter and performer βwho told the stories of everyday Americans with honesty, humility, and heart.β
βShe rose high from her East Tennessee roots and never forgot where she came from,β Clinton wrote.
Even professional wrestlers paid homage. Sixteen-time heavyweight champion Ric Flair wrote that he was βa huge fan of her music.β
I can't believe we just lost the purest soul. Rest in Glory, Dolly. My heart aches. pic.twitter.com/EXLcyB0AJn
— Miley Official (@MileyCyrusBz) August 25, 2026
βDolly Partonβs legacy is not celebrity, but humanity. She came from poverty to become the most important native of Tennessee. She shared her fortunes for the good of all of us, and shared her soul in every note she sang.β βKyle Young, CEO pic.twitter.com/naJAF3ov0N
— Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (@countrymusichof) August 25, 2026
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