{"id":447127,"date":"2026-08-29T10:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T10:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/447127\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T10:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T10:14:14","slug":"celebrating-dolly-an-appreciation-of-her-legacy-across-the-u-s-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/447127\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Dolly: An appreciation of her legacy across the U.S. : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787998452_206_.jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5472x3648+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F3f%2F5c06b4484c04b638d6731b657384%2Fgettyimages-1096271502.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Dolly Parton performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n                Dolly Parton performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.<\/p>\n<p>                    Rich Fury\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                hide caption\n            <\/p>\n<p>              toggle caption<\/p>\n<p>        Rich Fury\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>The great Dolly Parton <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/08\/25\/nx-s1-3650175\/dolly-parton-obituary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">died <\/a> earlier this week and tributes have poured in from across the country.<\/p>\n<p>                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5944468\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/08\/26\/nx-s1-5944468\/dolly-parton-legacy-songwriting\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/26\\\/nx-s1-5944468\\\/dolly-parton-legacy-songwriting&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787998452_698_.jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2600x2600+608+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F09%2F86%2Fee147895478a8199466adfc5fe25%2Fgettyimages-86099039.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2600x2600+608+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F09%2F86%2Fee147895478a8199466adfc5fe25%2Fgettyimages-86099039.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"UNITED STATES - JANUARY 01: Photo of Dolly PARTON (Photo by Richard E. Aaron\/Redferns)\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p>There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wusf.org\/arts-culture\/2026-08-27\/dolly-parton-mural-tampa-draws-fans-country-star-passing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">murals <\/a>dedicated in her honor and the Empire State Building lit up in pink in remembrance of Parton. Fans are mourning the loss of a country music icon who not only changed the musical landscape but gave back to communities with her <a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/dolly-partons-legacy-transcends-music-from-books-to-scholarships-to-vaccines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Imagination Library program<\/a> and donations to develop the Moderna COVID vaccine. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/nashvilles-airport-to-become-dolly-parton-international-with-gov-lee-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Nashville&#8217;s airport to become Dolly Parton International with Gov. Lee support<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nashville-bound passengers could soon fly into Dolly Parton International Airport. Gov. Bill Lee has taken up a growing push to rename the airport for <a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/dolly-parton-one-of-country-musics-most-singular-performers-has-died-at-age-80\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the late singer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The name change technically <a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/dolly-partons-death-renews-push-to-rename-nashville-airport-in-her-honor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">goes against airport policy<\/a>, which only allows a rededication to someone who&#8217;s made contributions to the airport or the field of aviation. The Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board is pushing forward with the change anyway.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/flags-at-half-mast-for-dolly-parton-mourners-across-the-political-spectrum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Flags at half-staff for Dolly Parton mourners across the political spectrum<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Nashville Public Radio<\/a> reported that flags will fly at half-staff for the next week to honor <a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/dolly-parton-one-of-country-musics-most-singular-performers-has-died-at-age-80\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the death of Dolly Parton<\/a>, who passed away at age 80. President Donald Trump announced that flags would be lowered at the White House and across the nation on Truth Social Tuesday, calling Parton &#8220;one of the greatest Country singers\u2026 EVER.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/in-pictures-after-dollys-passing-nashville-mourns-its-queen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">In pictures: After Dolly&#8217;s passing, Nashville mourns its queen<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nashville Public Radio&#8217;s news team has been out listening to grieving fans and gathering photographs. Flowers, handwritten remembrances and other tributes have been piling up at de facto Dolly Parton memorial sites around the Nashville area. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kut.org\/life-arts\/2026-08-25\/austin-tx-dolly-parton-brigitte-bandit-guitar-texas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Why Dolly Parton decided to give Austin drag queen Brigitte Bandit a rhinestoned guitar<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dolly also showed up in other ways for people. In Texas, she sent an acoustic guitar covered in rhinestones to an Austin drag queen \u2014 and signed it. <\/p>\n<p>In a story from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kut.org\/life-arts\/2026-08-25\/austin-tx-dolly-parton-brigitte-bandit-guitar-texas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">KUT<\/a>, Brigitte Bandit was having an exhausting year. It was the end of 2023. She had testified at the Texas Capitol against bills that would ban certain drag performances and story hours, and joined a lawsuit to stop the legislation.<\/p>\n<p>                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5944487\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/08\/26\/nx-s1-5944487\/dolly-parton-fresh-air\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/26\\\/nx-s1-5944487\\\/dolly-parton-fresh-air&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787998453_517_.jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1420x1419+1307+512\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F02%2Fda9c300b4465b27c92ac724657b1%2Fgettyimages-467487959.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1420x1419+1307+512\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F02%2Fda9c300b4465b27c92ac724657b1%2Fgettyimages-467487959.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Dolly Parton performs live for fans at Vector Arena on Feb. 7, 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p>After she performed as Dolly Parton at Oilcan Harry&#8217;s that December, one of the hosts made her sit on stage while a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/C1duD56Nki3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">five-minute-long video<\/a> played of people thanking her for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n<p>Then the host presented her with an oddly shaped box wrapped in pink<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At first I was, like, is this like a \u2026 Dolly costume?&#8221; Bandit told KUT. &#8220;Then I opened it, and I saw the signature.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wuot.org\/news\/2026-08-27\/dolly-devotees-pay-tribute-at-dollywood-in-the-wake-of-the-country-stars-death\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dolly devotees pay tribute at Dollywood in the wake of the country star&#8217;s death<\/a><\/p>\n<p>WUOT in Knoxville, Tenn. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wuot.org\/news\/2026-08-27\/dolly-devotees-pay-tribute-at-dollywood-in-the-wake-of-the-country-stars-death\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">reported <\/a>Dollywood opened the park the day after Dolly Parton&#8217;s death to carry on the country music icon&#8217;s legacy and honor her spirit saying &#8220;the show must go on.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Angie Henson was dressed in all pink with platform tennis shoes, rhinestone pants and a sparkly shirt in honor of Dolly Parton.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;She loved to outshine and outsparkle everybody,&#8221; she said to WUOT.  &#8220;That&#8217;s why I wear what I wear a lot because I like to bring happiness to people that see me sparkle.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/playlist-the-breadth-and-depth-of-dolly-parton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Celebrating all of Dolly&#8217;s music<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nashville Public Radio Senior Music Writer Jewly Hight made a beautiful 100-song playlist for listeners.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I made this list to reflect the depth and breadth of the musical mark she made, from her own iconic, enduring and underrated songs to her wide-ranging collaborations and contributions to film and covers, samples, interpolations and other testaments to her unbounded influence, across generational and genre boundaries,&#8221; Hight <a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/playlist-the-breadth-and-depth-of-dolly-parton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">writes<\/a> in her story this week.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/in-honor-of-dolly-parton-tennessee-could-celebrate-9-to-5-day-on-9-25\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">In honor of Dolly Parton, Tennessee could celebrate &#8216;9 to 5 Day&#8217; on 9\/25<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nashville Public Radio reported Tennessee lawmakers are considering dedicating another day to Dolly Parton. The iconic <a href=\"https:\/\/wpln.org\/post\/dolly-partons-legacy-transcends-music-from-books-to-scholarships-to-vaccines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">singer and philanthropist<\/a> passed away Tuesday at the age of 80. Earlier this year, Jan. 19 became &#8220;Dolly Parton Day&#8221; in celebration of her 80th birthday.<\/p>\n<p>Now, lawmakers are considering Sept. 25, or 9\/25, as &#8220;9 to 5 Day.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfae.org\/education\/2026-08-26\/dolly-parton-leaves-legacy-of-millions-of-free-books-for-north-carolina-children\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dolly Parton leaves legacy of millions of free books for North Carolina children<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dolly&#8217;s contribution to society went beyond music. <\/p>\n<p>Since 2017, Dolly Parton&#8217;s Imagination Library has provided more than 24.6 million free books to young children across the state through North Carolina&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartstart.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Smart Start<\/a> network. More than 241,000 children are currently enrolled in the program statewide, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfae.org\/education\/2026-08-26\/dolly-parton-leaves-legacy-of-millions-of-free-books-for-north-carolina-children\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WFAE <\/a>reported this week.<\/p>\n<p>                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5945081\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/08\/26\/nx-s1-5945081\/dolly-parton-podcast\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/26\\\/nx-s1-5945081\\\/dolly-parton-podcast&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787998453_288_.jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x3000+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5e%2Fe2%2F76aacfd74c96b62c0fab1f91014d%2F049ac839-f38e-4775-8c65-03d76cfd1323.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x3000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5e%2Fe2%2F76aacfd74c96b62c0fab1f91014d%2F049ac839-f38e-4775-8c65-03d76cfd1323.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Dolly Parton in her own words\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787998453_549_.jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3574x2330+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcb%2Fb3%2F400134aa425fafd4b7cabe13c3cc%2Fap21082443990412.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Dolly Parton performs at Glastonbury music festival, June 29, 2014.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n                Dolly Parton performs at Glastonbury music festival, June 29, 2014.<\/p>\n<p>                    Jonathan Short\/AP<\/p>\n<p>                hide caption\n            <\/p>\n<p>              toggle caption<\/p>\n<p>        Jonathan Short\/AP<\/p>\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787998454_880_.jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/7660x5107+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2F0b%2Fb95517604f8196e2643a04c3998a%2Fap26237690501394.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Flowers are placed on Dolly Parton's star at Walk of Fame Park on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Nashville.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n                Flowers are placed on Dolly Parton&#8217;s star at Walk of Fame Park on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Nashville.<\/p>\n<p>                    George Walker IV\/AP<\/p>\n<p>                hide caption\n            <\/p>\n<p>              toggle caption<\/p>\n<p>        George Walker IV\/AP<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dolly Parton performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447128,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[48,52,51,47,50,49],"class_list":["post-447127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}