Dolly Parton dies at 80: Her genuine spirit lives on

We are following the latest developing news at this hour. Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. It looks like, according to TMZ, Dolly was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Friday morning with kidney and autoimmune issues. And we're told Dolly died in the hospital this morning. The country music icon, obviously, behind some of the biggest songs ever recorded. And on top of that all, decades of music, acting, philanthropy, and so much more. I want to have you guys listen to an announcement from her nephew when he posted this on his Instagram page. He also played her security team during a lot of her shows and so much more. Let's listen in. Hey, everyone. My name is Brian Seaver. Son of Cassie Parton. And I'm representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean. Sister, sis, aunt granny to one generation and Gigi to the next. This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven't truly felt it until now. It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens. I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s. Dolly opened doors, not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn't even know was possible. Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believe that anything is possible. She never saw a door she couldn't open and the door she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever. Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy. He farmed the soil, she farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest. Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt Granny, Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton and may God bless you all. She will always love you. Always love you and we will always love her. Dolly became one of the most beloved figures in entertainment. These are live pictures right now from Hollywood where obviously you see the entire crowd gathered right by her Hollywood star. Dolly Parton certainly had a lot of fans out there including some, of course, here in Michigan. I wanna bring in someone who has worked with her and interviewed her, Gary Graff, award-winning veteran music journalist in town. Gary, it is so good having you join us today to remember Dolly and all the things she's done. Yeah, you really can't overstate how important she was and how accomplished she was as an artist, as a philanthropist, as a songwriter within the artistry, as a songwriter, as a performer, as a singer. You just, you know, you just can't. She did so much and she did so much that was right and correct and done in the best spirit of everything. So it's, you know, it really is, like I say, it's a loss that you can't overstate. Gary, you've interviewed so many people and your career spans several decades as well here in Michigan. Out of anyone that you've interviewed, why did Dolly seem so different? What was it about her that people loved and admired? Genuineness. I mean, you felt like, you know, just like her nephew was saying in that prepared piece, you felt like you were Dolly Parton's friend. You felt like she was doing everything. She did all for the right reasons, for the love of the art, for the love of people, and that she was presenting to you a very genuine person. Sure, she was showbiz and, you know, nobody wore rhinestones like Dolly Parton, but she still felt like a, you still felt like you were getting her heart and her soul and that very genuine person. And it came through in her singing, in the way she sang, her phrasing and her melodicism, her choice of notes. And it came through in her TV appearances, just everything she did. You felt like, yes, this is Dolly Parton. This is exactly, you know, what would Dolly do? This is what Dolly would do and this is who she is. You know, Gary, it's interesting that you say, what would Dolly do? Because that message from her nephew that was posted on his social media, he said that she wanted him to do that. She wanted him to release this message. So it was prior to her death that this was already planned for him to do that. Now, and I don't know if you saw the live pictures from Hollywood in LA where the, you know, the Walk of Fame has a lot of people standing and hovering above her star. I mean, this is no surprise to us. Now, what were the, when was the last time you've interviewed her and what do you know even about anything with her health or anything that she struggled with? So the last time I talked to her was last October, this past October. She was launching a new project, archival project with her family, not only her own recordings, but her mother and her aunts and her cousins, really wonderful project, curating the Parton Owens family, all of their music. And at the time she had not yet canceled that first Vegas residency, but she made allusions to being at the time 79 and having some health issues. She didn't lay out to me exactly what was going on, but, you know, we pretty much knew. I mean, again, 79 years old, things happen to people at that age and to entertainers. You know, we can't all be Keith Richards or Willie Nelson, or they can't all be Keith Richards or Willie Nelson. So, you know, but she sounded good. She still sounded robust. Particularly happy to be talking about these decades of family recordings that she was about to give out to the world. And she still had that sparkly kind of dolly, you know, personality. So, you know, there was no reason to think, necessarily think of anything imminent, but I do think when they began canceling the Vegas residency dates. And more recently she spoke about looking into avatars and, you know, having a, you know, kind of an avatar performance, just like Kiss is doing, or they've done with Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley and Tupac and so many other artists. So, you know, when you hear somebody talking like that, you know, your eyebrow does raise a little bit and you say, okay, you know, do they know something or are they preparing for something that we don't necessarily know about yet? And Gary, you know, just to see someone who grew up, I mean, for lack of better words, dirt poor in Tennessee and became one of the biggest stars on the planet. And for several decades, truly one of a kind, what's the message you have for anyone watching right now and remembering this moment, remembering her legacy? Just appreciate her, appreciate everything she was. You know, this is the singer, this is the entertainer, this is the woman who wrote Jolene and I will always love you. This is the philanthropist who did so many good things, large and small. She opened Dollywood, which is a lot of fun. Just, you know, kind of marvel at somebody who did, as you noted, came from difficult circumstances in her life, pulled herself up, set a great example of what you can be as a person, certainly for country music artists and especially women in country music was an example for what you didn't have to settle for and what you could step out and achieve and to never stop trying to achieve that. Gary Graffa, we certainly appreciate your time joining us today and remembering Dolly Parton at 80 years old. Let me tell you, even at 80, she looked incredible, a remarkable woman with a lot of energy and she will certainly be missed. Absolutely, and I'm gonna go listen to some of her music right now. We will too. Gary, thank you so much for joining us today.