New Yorkers paid homage to country music legend Dolly Parton after the singer/songwriter, movie star, theme park owner, and philanthropist died at 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
Some tributes were officially sanctioned, while others were a little more on the ‘backwoods Barbie’ side.
On Tuesday night, at 9:25 p.m. sharp, in a nod to Parton’s famous film “9 to 5,” the Empire State Building illuminated its tower in a “pink sparkle.”
People watch the Empire State Building lit up in pink to honor the late singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in New York on Aug. 25, 2026. (Photo by Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP via Getty Images)
Parton fans from all over the world expressed on social media their joy in seeing the building’s tip-of-the-cowgirl-hat tribute to the departed icon.
One such fan took his daughter to see the light show from the Brooklyn promenade.
“Thank you, @empirestatebldg for honoring @dollyparton! We made it just in time 9:25 to see you light her up in pink!” the fan said.
One Times Square, where the New Year’s Eve ball drop takes place, was also lit with pink lights in Parton’s memory.
A sign inside the Fulton Street subway station reads ‘Dolly Parton Street’ as people make their way through the station in Manhattan, New York on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)
In Lower Manhattan, some clever vandals changed a sign inside the Fulton Street subway station to “Dolly Parton Street.” The sign was still in place as of Wednesday morning as commuters made their way through the station.
On Wednesday, the IFC Center movie theater in Greenwich Village paid tribute to Parton by changing its marquee to read, “Dolly Parton 1946-2026. IFC will always love you.”
A tribute reading “Dolly Parton 1946-2026. IFC will always love you” is displayed on the marquee of the IFC Center in Greenwich Village on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026 in Manhattan, New York. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)
Although Parton was famously from Tennessee, she shared a special connection with New York that spanned decades.
On Aug. 21, 1978, Mayor Ed Koch presented Parton with a ‘Key to the City of New York’ on the steps of City Hall. The honor drew a massive crowd of tens of thousands of fans to Lower Manhattan for a free afternoon appearance and performance before her sold-out show at the New York Palladium.