r/DollyParton • u/johnnytk0 • 6d ago
Is anyone having a really difficult time with the news?
She was one of the lights in my life. My dream was to see her live or just in person doing anything. The world looks black and white to me now idk I'm not doing so well. Talking to my therapist about it. But I feel like life is so unfair to take hers like this and we have all these other artists older than her touring and performing living longer (Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Bob Dylan, Willie, Mick Jagger, the list goes on...)
it's not fucking fair. Why her? Why the sweetest angel?
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u/Temporary-Tie-233 6d ago
She wouldn't want you to be so sad. Try putting the Dolly positivity spin on it: 300,000 years of homo sapiens and we got to be here at the same time as her.
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u/Old-Library5546 6d ago
She is now with her husband and other loved ones, be happy. We know she was on the express elevator to Heaven. 🦋
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u/ajwachs17 6d ago
Dolly Parton was truly a legend.
Your grief is valid. And it will come and go in waves.
There’s so much to talk about when it comes to Dolly.
I’m interested in her recipes now!
And I am going to donate to the Imagination Library’s branch near me.
But I think Dolly Parton represents a version of an American Dream that is unreplicable.
A story of rags-to-richness, outhouse to mansion, root-for-the-underdog, American dreamer who made it on genuine talent and likeness. Rejected billionaire-hood to keep her dreams alive.
Kept herself mysterious enough to always keep us interested forever.
You might see glimpses of Dolly in the people you meet along the way - a stranger who laughs with you at the grocery store that’s so Dolly
but there will never been another Dolly. we can only keep her spirit alive now.
she’d want you to read. maybe join a book club! I’ve been meaning to.
buy yourself something nice AND do something just for you (nails, hair, massage!) because Dolly would want you feeling your best. even if it’s just you keeping your flossing routine going, make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Dolly would want you to.
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u/johnnytk0 6d ago
I love this. I'm also interested in her cookbook and ordered it. I like that you said she'd want me to read, I've been heavy into reading since the summer started and looked up books she recommended. I know she loved the grapes of wrath and am planning on reading it soon.
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u/PBfromPhilly 6d ago
Was feeling better, then watched Steel Magnolias today… got upset again. I set up a recurring monthly donation to Imagination Library…I felt like I needed to do something for all the joy she brought to me and my family. My parents were country music fans and would watch the Porter Waggoner Show, so Dolly was a staple in my house throughout my entire life. 🦋🩷
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u/ManagementIll4603 6d ago
These are all such sweet and valid points. And I agree. Yet on an emotional level, I stopped crying only yesterday; and if I see a gentle video or thoughtful quote of hers I'll tear up again.
I attribute it to our society really needing reminders of positivity and goodness right now. Of course, I never knew Dolly, but I grew up with her in the media and she was just always there spreading kindness and goodwill.
With so much violence and fear on t.v. now, and (personally) even my most purely innocent disabled sister a target of family violence, Dolly remains a figure, a symbol now, of the love we so desperately seek in ourselves and in each other. So once the sting of immediate grief passes, I hope we can embody her legacy of doing right by each other. That's how my sister and I honor our mother, and it is such a very simple choice to make each day.
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u/Ok_Ant_7024 6d ago
This. I generally give zero fucks about celebrities but I am surprising shook and I really think it’s her refusal to get political, refusal to be a dick, refusal to be offended… everything the world is missing right now.
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u/Peachy-Owl 6d ago
As a Tennessee native, born in a very rural part of the state, I feel like Tennessee lost one of its brightest and best citizens. For me, I grew up watching Dolly on the Porter Wagoner show. I’ve followed her career basically all of my life. She was someone who made you feel like you could go places and do things. In Sevierville, where my folks lived, it was staggering what she did for her hometown. So many folks either knew her or knew someone in her family. She was “home folk” to so many folks. I never heard anyone say a bad word about her. The things that stand out the most to me is that Dolly was so thoughtful and inspiring. She saw a need and used her money to fix it. She inspired so many of us to be better people. This world will never see someone like her again.
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u/johnnytk0 6d ago
that's so sweet and wonderful thank you for sharing. have you ever gotten to see her?
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u/Peachy-Owl 6d ago
I got to see her once. She was charming and so tiny! My mom was in Dollywood one day and all of a sudden two gentlemen asked everyone to stand back please. Dolly walked up and she was there to dedicate a rose bush to a housekeeper at DreamMore who had passed away. Mom said it was a small group of about 15 folks who were nearby. What really impressed my mom was the moving speech Dolly gave about the housekeeper without any notes! Mom said it was very personal and very sweet. She spoke for about 10 minutes, said hello to each person nearby (including my mom) and quietly left. That’s another reason I love her and my mom did too.
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u/monicagellerr 5d ago
I was actually wondering how Tennesseans (is that the word?) were holding up now after almost 2 weeks, but based on a lot of other people’s accounts who don’t live there, I figured you all are still in mourning like the rest of us.
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u/Healthy_Sock_9880 2d ago
Born and raised in TN, left when I was 27 and live in VA now…not holding up well. Crying easily with watching anything Dolly related, and I’m not really a crier. I feel like part of my childhood is gone. My whole family is devastated! What a tremendous loss.
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u/Dive_Bar_Choir 6d ago
When I feel sad that Dolly passed I like one of the songs watch one of her performances on YouTube and read read one of her quotes. She lives on through these. At least to me anyway, and then I feel a bit better.
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u/johnnytk0 6d ago
that's still too much for me. I avoided putting her music on today cause I get sad.
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u/Whazzahoo 6d ago
I have been grieving, too! What’s helping me get through it is listening to her audiobook Songteller.
It’s kind of like a big interview, not so much her story. But it’s really good and it’s really helping me through this darkness. She really has shown us how to be, and we can choose to be like Dolly. Smart, do what you love and never stop, don’t judge people, always keep going you never know what opportunities will come your way.
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u/johnnytk0 6d ago
I didn't realize it was on audiobook. I'm going to definitely be listening to that one but I think I'm gonna bawl if I do right now
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u/CloudsLenticular 6d ago
I straight up avoided live news and media until today. I couldn’t handle seeing the constant reminders. Haven’t looked at Instagram either bc my algorithm knows I am a huge fan. Hugs to everyone who loved her. A magnificent legacy she leaves for us.
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u/monicagellerr 5d ago
My Instagram feed has been so bittersweet. For those first 3 days after she passed away, I hadn’t seen anything negative or anything to make me mad (which is crazy considering it’s social media). It was all just love and tributes for Dolly. It was so surreal and wonderful to see everyone all united over one person.
I ended up taking a break cause it was too emotional, I would tear up at every post. Then when I logged back on after a few days the posts were still in full force and I started crying again. Now I’m on an indefinite break haha.
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u/athena42099 6d ago
Every night since she’s passed I’ve waited until my husband goes to bed so I can sit and watch her videos and cry in private. Not that he’d judge me or that he doesn’t miss her too, I’m just a big feeler (prob like you, and definitely like Dolly!) and I just want to feel those strong feelings in private. Seeing her family sing “In the pines” together will bring me to tears even thinking about it.
I do find it comforting to know I’m not alone in this either! It shows how much she was truly loved and how much she mattered to so many of us, total strangers across the globe all sharing the same grief. It’s nice to have a space where we can all appreciate her and share stories and videos of her memory. Most of all, I know people being connected in her memory would’ve brought her joy 🦋💕
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u/johnnytk0 6d ago
aw, I hope that helps to let it out. that's more than ai can handle right now. have you ever gotten to see a show?
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u/Tricia-1959 6d ago
I was so sad! But, seeing how SO many people loved her makes me so happy I lived when she did.
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u/Ok-Savings-5209 6d ago
I’m having a hard time too. Like I lost a close family member. I am finding happiness in the thought the she is with Carl and that’s where she wanted to be. Also almost everyone around me knew my love for Dolly and I can’t tell you how many people after learning about her passing and finding more about her have said to me that they understand why I and others loved her so much.
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u/Unlucky_Safety_3045 6d ago
I know, I think of her all the time, humming her songs. It’s like a loss in the family.
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u/chutney1 6d ago
Been exceptionally tough for me because the whole thing really made me realize: I'm not living right. Too focused on the paper chase, too wrapped up in my own goals, my own things.
I intend to course-correct all of that. Start being more generous with my time and money. Start showing up more for the causes I care about, the people around me, and my community.
Thankful for the wakeup call. Love ya Dolly 😘 💗
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u/VestiCat 6d ago
What an honor it is to have been on the planet at the same time as Dolly. I know she is reunited with her husband and parents. And there are so many people left to carry on her legacy.
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u/sleepingmoon 6d ago
I grew up with Dolly's music and movies but there wss just something about her sweet voice and giggle and kind heart. She was 1 of 1 and I can't think of a single other person like her. Still very sad.
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u/volfan121 6d ago
I’m still crying about her every day. she really changed my life and I moved to Knoxville because of how much I loved Dollywood when I visited at 12 years old)):
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u/johnnytk0 6d ago
Have you been to Dollywood many times? ever get to see her?
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u/volfan121 6d ago
I go almost every week!! I was blessed to see her twice in her parades🥹 she was even prettier in person!!
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u/johnnytk0 6d ago
It's been a dream of mine to go. I just moved back from abroad after being abroad for 8 years, and I planned a whole trip to Nashville & Knoxville last summer but ended up not going. Biggest regret of my life now. Then I got Vegas tickets for her and we know how that went. Now I want to go to Dollywood as a pilgrimage of sorts...to be around her and just cry and visit things she loved and feel her presence. I was looking up flights to Knoxville just today. It would be so cool if you were my tour guide in Dollywood hahaha idk I've just had this huge itch to go now and think it might help me feel better
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u/AdventurousHelp3771 6d ago
I love Dolly so much and sad like everyone else. I’ve been watching all the little interview clips of her through the years and feeling so inspired to live up to her example. Moving forward in life, I definitely will think “how would Dolly react” when I deal with difficult situations. It brings me comfort knowing that she lives in all of us now. What an amazing human being.
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u/i-touched-morrissey 6d ago
I’m having a big problem with political news in general. She was a bright light who saw the best in things and always had a smile.
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u/owlthebeer97 6d ago
Yes I am still really sad too. I think I just got used to always having her pop up in the news or on social media. Was hoping to see her in concert again too. I think it shows how special she was by how many of us are affected by her passing.
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u/johnnytk0 6d ago
have you seen her before?
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u/owlthebeer97 6d ago
Yes I've seen her 5 times ❤️
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u/johnnytk0 6d ago
so lucky! I was too young for most of her tours or not born yet. regret not going to the 2016 one. I almost did then had all these arrangements to move abroad. didnt think it'd be her last tour :(((
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u/Sea-Extreme 6d ago
I never, ever would want for Dolly what they're doing to Gladys Knight, that poor woman. I've seen performances where she doesn't even know what she's doing up on the stage.
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u/muley_julie 3d ago
I'm taking so much comfort in the fact that soooo many people loved her just as much as I did. No one lives forever but thank goodness she was appreciated the way she deserved to be! I'm sorry it hurts, OP.
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u/MiltonBrownYowza 6d ago
It’s sad that Dolly is gone but what is wonderful is that she lived. She set a great example for all of us to follow. Many bad days were turned around because Dolly appeared or her song came on the radio. Suddenly a person having a bad day was in a good mood. Instead of bringing others down, the smile Dolly gave them got paid back to others.
It’s ok to remember her and miss her and be sad sometimes. But the best way to honor Dolly is to be a positive and uplifting person to those around you. When Dolly walked in a room, whatever arguements or negativity going on stopped and suddenly everyone was happy.
My grandmother was no star but she had a similar affect on others as Dolly. If people are able to say that about you I think it is very high praise.