To think Dolly Parton was some sort of prophet or philosopher

That may well be true, but it is also true that it was very, very rare to hear anyone say they hated her. It was rare even to hear anyone dissent (except here on Mumsnet, where inexplicably they choose to focus on her choice of how she looks despite the myriad good things she did in her life).

Can you think of any other famous person in living memory who hasn’t had a whiff of nastiness or controversy? Of all the people who have met her, not a single person says she was rude or unkind. Who people from both sides of the political aisle claim as their own and can be certain she was “one of them”? She transcends country music, and the number of things she was involved in creatively and personally is so diverse.

Her talent was incredible, her knowledge of PR and how to use it was way ahead of her time, and her business sense was considerable. She was able to unite a country like the US (or the U.K.) in a time that is so divisive. She was a unicorn in those respects.

If you can think of one, please don’t name them. 2026 has turned into a repeat of 2016, and I don’t want to jinx anything! I’ll believe you!

The genius of Dolly is, we will never know. We can guess, but we will never know. That was deliberate.

For Dolly though it probably wasn't 'everyday glam'. As pps have said, she probably at least partly wore those wigs & costumes so she could go unnoticed in her everyday life.
Her look was deliberately exaggerated- that's fine but plenty of women still want to look, and can, look glam without being dressed to the nines. After all, Dolly's outfit was perfect for her role but most of us sadly aren't singing stars!

Imo someone like Audrey Hepburn is a better example of 'everyday' look as her outfits were deliberately understated and simple. Grace Kelly's vibe was more wealthy and extravagant, depending on the film though (I spend too much time on You Must Remember This...)

I think probably she loved everyone in the Christian sense- or tried to. Religion was clearly important to her in a genuine way.

I hate the way people in the press are hinting about what she was or wasn't. Even on here, someone stated she was open about her affairs outside of marriage, and she certainly was not.

It's like some people can't bear to think that there are some really lovely people in this world.

I think she was just through & through a thoroughly good person & the world is a sadder place for her loss ❤️😭

She might have been riding half the world and still been really lovely!

I wouldn't say she was a prophet in that I don't think she was divinely inspired or made predictions. But I do think she was a genuinely kind, thoughtful (philosophical?) and honest person. It is remarkable how many people liked her in a world where there's so much hatred and division. Perhaps one of her greatest attractions was her lovely smile. She always seemed to like other people and that helped us to like her. (Unlike those people currently in power who seem to dislike everybody and sow division and hatred.)

I’m not a country fan but am definitely a Dolly fan.
She was a talented, compassionate and clever woman who did a huge amount of good in this world.

Yes - I agree. She really was a genuinely amazing human. One of the best I've ever seen.

I've read that the story of Hannah Montana (played by her god-daughter, Miles Cyrus, and in which she also appeared), was a coded story for what Dolly did in her own life. That the Dolly 'look' was actually a facade, a character she played, and when she took it off, nobody recognised her, allowing her and Carl to go off on Winnebago holidays in the US, like an ordinary couple. I'd love it if it came out that was the case, she was certainly clever enough to pull off something like that.

Totally agree. She was one of a kind. The world is a lot worse without her in it 🦋🩷

Hmm maybe so, but it was well done and not terrible like some people who look horrendous as a much younger age.
Her style was glamorous so it wouldn’t have been right for her to go grey and wrinkly, but as we all know there was so much more to her than her looks or even her music!

Watching all the clips, she was just so astonishingly smart and articulate.

I was pondering the plastic surgery. She genuinely seemed so self assured, her charm was so disarming and those who tried to undermine her, just ended up looking stupid. Plastic surgery is so often rooted in insecurity but there genuinely didn't seem to be an insecure bone in her body.

It's almost as though the wigs, the boobs, the glamour, the heels were a costume that allowed her to hide in plain sight. Like a superhero costume ❤️ Looking like that, being genuinely kind and funny disarmed people, especially men (and I can't imagine the misogyny and sexism she would have come across on a day to day basis in showbizness) just allowed her to run rings around people and get her own way. Whilst people were busy thinking she was a dumb blond, she'd already managed to do x, y and z.

Everyone talks about how she didn't do politics, she even said that herself but everything philanthropic she did was sooooo very political. But she hid in plain sight.

It's really clear in interviews that she never lost sight of her objectives. She didn't allow anything to distract her from what she wanted to achieve, which is most probably why she achieved so much and didn't seem to slow down even though she was in her 80s.

She was truly fascinating. One of a kind.

Crikey! That’s a bit OTT isn’t it?

She came from a very poor family, worked all her life , on her terms, no doubt. Indeed she used some of her money to help many many people and that’s good but a ‘prophet?’ Really?

She commercialised her brand and her look, with good humour & was an excellent entertainer, but at the end of the day, that is what she was, an entertainer and a generous lady.

RIP Dolly.

I read she wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You in the same day. That is just insane to me.

She seemed so ahead of her time - when those stiff old school interviewers asked her things they wouldn’t ask now about her appearance, she put them in their place in the cleverest ways

Hear hear!

No she wasn't a Prophet.
Just a real, down to earth, genuine woman with great talent.
Who lived by her principles and did a lot of good for the world.
And that is why she was so popular and well liked

How many so called Stars. and Legends can you say all that about?

Rock on in Heaven Dolly
😻
Xxx

Dolly was an angel

Really? In all cases? What about for breast reconstructions after a mastectomy? What about correcting terrible birth defects? Those people could just put up with their lot too. But if their personal mental health and wellbeing is better because of plastic surgery then thank goodness for plastic surgery. What people do with their body is their business. Perhaps we should save our criticisms for the society that judges people on how they look instead.

Certainly a phenomenal wordsmith - and I think that's what came through with her philosophy as well.

With the number of business meetings & crass interviews she will have had to deal with in her early career years, where a lot of stereotypical assumptions were obviously made, she had certainly honed some cracking 'Partonisms' by the time she was reaching a truly global audience!

Obviously a philosophy deeply influenced by her family, upbringing and faith - but also by a strong belief in her own abilities and a steely determination not to be undermined. And also a lifelong commitment to share her success with the community in its widest sense.

As a wordsmith, her long-running project to help poorer children access books & literacy was an amazing legacy on its own. But there was so much more.

Truly RIP Dolly 🥰

I'm American and we're all in a funk right now because of her passing. Even the younger people I work with are crushed. I know she was 80 but I hoped she would make it longer. And then Tim Curry does the next day and my week is just ruined.

I saw this infographic and felt momentarily worried someone was going to be mean, then looked closer 🥰
This thread has made me a little teary in the best way. YANBU, OP.
Partonists unite 💖

...and busy.
However, there is no record of her ever saying she had been unfaithful, so to state she was open about her affairs, was a lie.

I agree with you on surgery not being necessary however, I think what I take from this is that she had a really clear
idea of who she was and what she wanted to be like and she was honest and upfront about that. So surgery would never be my choice however, I admire Dolly for knowing who she was and what it took for her to be happy.