When news of legendary country music star Dolly Parton’s passing broke Tuesday, thousands of fans and local residents across her home state of Tennessee turned out to honor the woman whose decades of generosity and artistry reshaped their region forever. In Sevierville, Parton’s hometown, hundreds gathered at the bronze statue of the singer outside the Sevier County Courthouse, where her iconic hit “Jolene” drifted through the evening air as mourners left bouquets of flowers and shared personal memories of the icon.
Callie Konane Rickards, a 43-year-old costume designer and lifelong fan who placed flowers at the statue’s base, told Agence France-Presse, “We’ve always called her our patron saint of Tennessee.” Families with small children joined local police, lifelong residents, and out-of-town tourists at the site, with many stopping to take selfies next to the statue that shows Parton strumming her signature acoustic guitar. “I just feel like her sparkle lives on in all of us,” Rickards added.
While global music superstars including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Jack White have released public tributes honoring Parton’s legacy, her neighbors in East Tennessee offered deeply personal reflections on a star who never lost connection to her working-class, mountain roots. Locals highlighted Parton’s unifying presence, her lifelong commitment to her Appalachian home, and the way she wrapped the region in a uniquely warm, approachable country glamour that drew visitors and opportunity to the area.
Twenty-four-year-old local resident Jonah La Grand, who wore a vintage Dolly Parton t-shirt to the gathering, still speaks of Parton in the present tense, saying, “Dolly is like a mother to everyone who lives here. She gives so much growth to the county and the surrounding Appalachia — economically, yes, but she has also uplifted us spiritually. She’s known worldwide for being so kind.”
Mourners repeatedly pointed to Parton’s long record of generosity to the community, specifically her rapid support for local families when devastating wildfires tore through the region a decade prior. Even today, her nearby Dollywood theme park stands as the single most vital economic engine for Sevier County, drawing millions of tourists annually and supporting thousands of local jobs. Her pioneering Imagination Library, meanwhile, has put free books into the hands of millions of children across the globe, opening access to literacy for young people who would otherwise lack that opportunity.
As dusk fell, local residents gathered at Bluffs, a popular neighborhood watering hole just outside Sevierville, to raise a glass to Parton, sing karaoke versions of her greatest hits, and swap stories of the legend who grew up alongside them. Among the crowd was Brent Allen, Parton’s 49-year-old cousin, who grew up just a short walk from the singer’s childhood home in the hills of Locust Ridge outside Sevierville. “She’s Aunt Granny to me,” Allen told AFP, right before a bar patron launched into a raucous, crowd-joining performance of Parton’s iconic hit “9 to 5.”
Allen recalled that Parton grew up in extreme poverty alongside 11 siblings in the hills of East Tennessee, and he says that much of the progress and transformation the region has seen over the past 50 years can be traced directly to Parton’s tireless work and charitable giving. “Sevier County is 100 percent the way it is today for no other reason than for Dolly Parton,” he said. “I think she has ascended to sainthood now.”
Allen also remembered how Parton always made time for her family, showing up for reunions, holiday celebrations, and even funerals no matter how busy her global touring and career schedule became. What impressed him most, he said, was her down-to-earth, grounded demeanor that brought people together across dividing lines of politics, class, and background. “I hope Dolly is our generation’s Mother Teresa,” Allen said. “She made everybody feel like they were special.”
Plans for Parton’s memorial are already underway: a private funeral will be held first for immediate family and close personal friends, followed by at least one public memorial service that will be open to fans, expected to take place in either Nashville or her hometown of Sevierville.