The beloved performer was remembered for her business acumen as well as her philanthropy.<\/p>\n
\u200bGuest, who lives in Christchurch, worked as a UK and European publicist for Parton for more than 20 years. He first introduced his daughter Gracie to Parton when she was a baby during a UK tour in 2010.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was three months old, and Dolly picked her up, and the first thing she did was cry,\u201d he told RNZ\u2019s Checkpoint.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cI’ve got this amazing picture of Dolly holding Gracie out at arm’s length because Gracie was so scared of Dolly and then they just formed this lovely, almost grandparent friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u200bOver the years, Parton sent Gracie messages, letters and gifts. <\/p>\n
However, the highlight was priceless. Parton sang Gracie a personal rendition of Jolene, one of the singer-songwriter’s biggest hits, while they were on a tour bus at the Glastonbury music festival in 2014. Gracie was about four years old, says Guest.<\/p>\n
![\"Dolly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dolly-parton-with-steve-guest-a-uk-and-european-publicist-fo-44D2AVPNXVE2XIXRBXLJSRWH5Q.png\")
<\/p>\n
Dolly Parton with Steve Guest, a UK and European publicist for the country music legend (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201c… Dolly again picked Gracie up, sat her on her knee and started singing Jolene to her while Dolly is in her full rhinestone outfit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u200bParton wasn\u2019t as familiar with the famed festival as other artists might be, so she quizzed Guest about it before her set.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cI said, \u2018Oh, well, there’s a lot of people, and there’s a lot of mud, depending on the weather\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201c… She sat down, and she wrote a song called Mud, there and then, on the spot, and she actually performed it at Glastonbury, which was, it was a bit of a pastiche, a bit of a jokey song, but she played it, and everyone just laughed.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cBut ironically, it was the sunniest afternoon at Glastonbury.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u200bParton played in front of her biggest crowd \u2013 more than 120,000 people.<\/p>\n
\u200bWorking with and knowing Parton personally was a blessing, says Guest.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cShe’s never late. She’s always slightly early because she always said, \u2018Why is my time more important than somebody else’s? It’s not\u2019.<\/p>\n
![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/steve-guest-and-country-music-star-dolly-parton-R4B2W2LQGVB67P4XFDECDTLFVA.png\")
<\/p>\n
Steve Guest and country music star, Dolly Parton (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cIt was a respect thing.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cShe always wanted to know about other cultures and backgrounds and countries. She was genuinely interested in you and where you come from.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u200bThe biggest lesson he learned from his time with Parton was humility, especially in the face of extreme fame. Parton was happiest at home \u201ccooking chicken and dumplings\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u200bThe song I Will Always Love You, written by Parton but popularised by Whitney Houston as the theme song for the film The Bodyguard, was his favourite song.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cThat’s what she used to sign off on all of her letters and little trinkets and mementoes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think what she’s done in her art form, in terms of music and film, is absolutely superb.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cBut ultimately, things like what she’s been doing with her Imagination Library and a children’s book charity, which has given away over 400 million books to help early literacy across the globe, is something that she was immensely proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n