Dolly Parton, 1946-2026: the Queen of Country was a unifying force in a divided world

In 2014, Dolly Parton drew one of the biggest crowds in Glastonbury’s history when she graced the Pyramid Stage for the festival’s coveted Legends slot.

An estimated 180,000 punters gathered to watch the Queen of Country strut her stuff, her rhinestone-encrusted suit glistening as she rattled off a rap about the mud on Worthy Farm: “We won’t let it ruin our high.” READ MORE: The Big Read – Dolly Parton: “I take care of business” She even parped away on a saxophone (also covered in rhinestones), playing the novelty instrumental ‘Yakety Sax’ (AKA the theme to The Benny Hill Show ).

In fact, she played it twice: once forwards, once “backwards” – as in, with her back to the crowd.

“I know it was corny, but it was fun,” she joked afterwards.

Corny but fun, triumphant in the face of adversity and wearing her undoubted genius with a lightness of touch, this was Dolly Parton all over.

The performance introduced the star, who has died at the age of 80 , to a whole new generation, proving her long-held talent for unifying audiences.

Go to a Dolly Parton gig, and you would meet folks – as she’d likely call them in her downhome Southern patter – from all walks of life.

A cheerful contradiction in terms, she retained the values of her dirt-poor background but was always the most glamorous person in the room.

Here was a salt-of-the-earth gal who was worth an estimated $650million, had won 11 Grammys (including the Lifetime Achievement Award), sold more than 100million records, released 49 solo albums and donated 100million books to children around the world through her Imagination Library charity.

The world’s first cloned mammal, a sheep, was famously named after her and, in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Parton donated $1milllion to the development of the Moderna Covid vaccine .

In interviews, she was unfailingly positive and charismatic, managing the tricky tightrope walk of appeasing all corners of her fanbase by remaining apolitical.

Instead, she expressed sincere beliefs about fairness, kindness and respect for all.

When she appeared on the cover of NME in 2019 , journalist Leonie Cooper asked Parton if anything ever made her angry.

“Oh, of course!” she replied, explaining that lateness and complacency got her goat: “I don’t remember the last time I shouted.