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Dolly Parton performs during halftime in the game between the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 23, 2023 in Arlington, Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ron Jenkins\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Though she was born and raised in Tennessee, Dolly Parton<\/a> had plenty of Texas ties. Among her Lone Star State escapades, Parton performed at RodeoHouston in 1978, duetted with Houston-native Kenny Rogers, starred in\u00a0The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and absolutely rocked the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader outfit.\u00a0<\/p>\n After news broke that Parton, easily one of the most beloved celebrities on planet Earth, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80<\/a>, notable Texans of all stripes spoke up to honor her incredible life.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n After President Donald Trump ordered that U.S. flags be lowered for the next week in Parton’s honor, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took to X to order the same<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n “God Bless Dolly,” Abbott wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n Country music star and Golden, Texas-native Kacey Musgraves posted several times on X about Parton’s passing, saying “this really really hurts<\/a>” and “the world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden.<\/a>“<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n So glad she\u2019s with her Carl Dean. No one talk to me today.<\/p>\n \u2014 K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) August 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n “So glad she’s with her Carl Dean. No one talk to me today,” Musgraves wrote.<\/p>\n Musgraves has long talked about her love of Parton. In a 2019 Billboard interview<\/a>, Musgraves called Dolly “the ultimate songwriter.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “Beauty, sex appeal, brains, wit, humor, beautiful songwriting, meaningful songwriting, no apologies for who she is, LGBTQ advocate long before it was even a thing or trendy or whatever,” Musgraves said. “She\u2019s fearless and I admire her spirit a lot and she\u2019s very kind. She\u2019s very present when you\u2019re talking to her and I just really love her so much.”<\/p>\n Kyle Young, the CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said that Parton’s legacy “is not celebrity, but humanity.”<\/p>\n “She came from poverty to become the most important native of Tennessee,” Young said. “She shared her fortunes for the good of all of us, and shared her soul in every note she sang.”<\/p>\n Luck Reunion, the music festival legendary Texas country music icon Willie Nelson started, issued a statement calling Parton “a beautiful friend.” Nelson and Parton performed several duets together over the years.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “Dolly touched our world in ways too many to measure. She gave us joy, generosity, courage, that unmistakable wit, and a vision for what it looks like to move through this life entirely as yourself,” the festival wrote on Instagram. “We were lucky to call her a friend, and luckier still to live in a world shaped by her.”\u00a0<\/p>\n “Rest easy, Dolly. We will always love you,” Luck Reunion wrote<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n A stalwart and outspoken supporter of queer and transgender people, Parton was considered by many to be a gay icon and left a profound impact on queer Americans. In 2024, Parton gifted an acoustic guitar to Austin drag queen Brigitte Bandit, one of Texas’ most recognizable drag queens and a prominent LGBTQ+ rights advocate. Parton gifted Bandit the guitar after seeing Bandit testify<\/a> in drag at the Texas Capitol against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in 2023, and Bandit has lovingly called herself the “Dolly of Austin.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Smart, funny and sometimes unhinged look at the week that was.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bandit said on Tuesday she would be hosting a celebration of Parton’s life at Stoney’s Good Time Ranch in Austin on Saturday. On Instagram, she said that Parton had massively influenced her drag persona and her LGBTQ+ rights advocacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “I talk a lot about Dolly, as she has been a huge influence in my life and my drag, from being my second concert ever, to my first official booking as a queen being a Dolly show, to performing as her across the city,” Bandit wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Holding my guitar close today,” Bandit wrote. “Rest in peace queen Dolly, thanks for showing this queen how to fight the bigots.”\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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