As the countless tributes to Dolly Parton roll in following her death, it’s impossible not to note that her kindness touched millions.
Parton had that uncanny way of reaching people through her music and films, but also through her unwavering activism. Sure, with a star this big and bright, world leaders and celebrity colleagues are going to pay their respects. But what made Parton extra shiny was her ability to reach people beyond their “status.”
I had the true honor of meeting Parton twice, which I wrote about last year: once when I was a child in Waco, Texas, and then again as an adult, pushing through a crowd just to get near her. In both instances, she reflected her light back onto me—something rare for someone as famous as she was. She made me feel, as she did with so many, that I “mattered.”
Upworthy asked our Facebook followers, “How did Dolly Parton impact you personally and the people around you?” The comments quickly flew in, with answers running the gamut from spirituality and world events to her iconic look. Parton touched so many lives in so many ways.
Her positivity
Many fans continue to be almost bewildered by Parton’s ability to have remained so cheerful and kind. At a time when many have all but given up on humanity, she simply never did.
An Upworthy reader shared, “Faith and hope. Dolly always spoke and lived positively. That was contagious. I feel like a little hope and light has left our lives.”
This person shared how Parton showed what it meant to live joyfully: “She’s just proof of how happy and (what a) full life we can have, if we just live it with love.”
Another noted, “Her talent was unsurpassed. We have the songs, the movies, the concerts. But her legacy will be her HUMANITY. She lived her life fully, with love and grace and respect for all. The ENTIRE WORLD mourns today.”
Of course, so many pointed out that one doesn’t have to have a huge ego to succeed. “She showed me it is possible to be wildly successful without being a mean-spirited jerk. I wish more people took her example to heart,” one person wrote.
She championed everyone
One person’s aunt was a stand-in on one of Parton’s films: “She saved my aunt from getting yelled at by Sylvester Stallone while working on Rhinestone Cowboy. Needless to say, my aunt loved her. As we all did. She was too genuinely good of a person not to.”
Another person added that even when Parton was fighting the good fight, she never went low: “I loved Dolly and how she stood up to bullies in everything she did. She didn’t shame anyone for who they were or what they did. She watched how you treated others. If only we all lived like that.”
This woman shared that Parton directly helped her kids: “We lived 30 minutes from Dollywood in a county that had a lot of poverty. She sent my children books in the mail. They started at infancy, and the last book was age 5. It was about going to school. My kids would get so excited about getting a new book in the mail, and she helped foster a love of reading. She was so giving and just kind. Fly high, our Appalachian Queen.”
Another woman shared a truly personal and vulnerable story: “I’m autistic. It is incredibly difficult for me to myself in public and be accepted at the same time. Dolly was Dolly, no matter where she was or who she was with. Her self. Her way. Always. That is something to aspire to.”
Her music spoke to so many
And of course, there was the music, with commenters sharing the beautiful ways it impacted them. “Her music got me through hard times. Her voice made sense of many things that didn’t make sense. She was real, in a world that isn’t always real,” one person wrote.
This person shared, “Her songs were the soundtrack of my childhood. She provided my son with books for his first 5 years of life. She was light and love.”
