Dolly Parton: We Will Always Love You

Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean was one of the biggest and most influential musicians of our time. She was also one of the bravest. Despite losing her beloved husband "Carl Thomas Dean" of nearly 59 years and losing her brief battle with cancer Dolly continued to be uplifting and the very person people were inspired to be. I wasn’t a super fan or the fan most people were, but there was no denying Dolly was one of a kind and in a league of her own.

 I do wish I could've enjoyed her wit, her radiance, and her talent the way I have now while she was still here. Even still I must say I am truly delighted and thankful that we all have been blessed and extremely lucky to have lived in the same time as she did. Dolly’s death was a shock to us all and hit me harder than I expected despite not knowing her the way I do now. 

  Since she passed I have been catching up on all things Dolly I've missed. I knew Dolly from growing up watching Hannah Montana and from Whitney Houston's iconic cover of her song "I Will Always Love You," but the Dolly I know now and have grown to know since hearing of her passing is so much more than that. I now know her the way the world knew her. The way she wanted to be seen and I must say as with Ozzy. I truly hate that I’ve missed so much, but you’re never too late to be a fan and to appreciate a person for who they are.  I never realized that she not only wrote songs of her own but also wrote songs for other artists. She was most definitely one of the most influential artists of our time of all time actually, which is why she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with being a best-selling author. She was also an amazing actress. She held 11 Guinness World Record titles along with holding 56 Grammy nominations and released a total of 66 studio albums. 

 

Let’s also not forget Dollywood. The amusement park she created for her fans. She wasn’t one of those stars who were out of touch with the people who helped her get to the place where she was. In fact, she was grateful and loved her fans. Despite Dolly not being able to have children for health reasons  she treated her fans like her family and she also had many nieces and nephews, she was always fulfilled. There was love all around her even after losing her beloved Carl. 

I wrote this to say Dolly, you will always be missed and loved by everyone. Your family, friends, and many fans. Longtime fans and those who are fairly new.