In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Into each life some rain must fall.” We’ve certainly had our share of literal rain this past month, but today’s figurative rain came in the form of a text from a friend letting me know that Dolly Parton had died. Somewhat in disbelief, I fact-checked it online and quickly saw the many headlines confirming it. Even though I knew she was 80, it seemed she would be around forever.

It’s hard to articulate why such news seems so personal, but I think most of us who have known of Dolly and have been entertained by her over the decades can relate. I never met or personally knew her, but I feel as if I did. Maybe that's due, in part, to her seeming like one of my people. After all, she was from East Tennessee, just “across the mountain” from us here in western North Carolina. But it's largely due to the fact that I've never known life without her. She was already in show business nearly a decade before I was born. I’m now 61, and she was in the public eye all 61 of those years. 

On some level, the entire nation…maybe the whole world…has been affected by Dolly’s passing. I liken it to the death of Elvis Presley forty-nine years ago this month. I didn’t quite understand all the grieving at that time, but I was only twelve years old when Elvis died, and he had not had a major impact on my life. But Dolly…. Now that’s a different story.

My first memory of her is seeing her perform on TV as part of the Porter Wagoner Show. I can recall being in my maternal grandparents’ living room and watching her, along with Porter and Speck Rhodes. My family still talks about my grandpa hollering to my grandma, saying, “Dolly’s on!” And then there were the Porter and Dolly commercials advertising laundry detergent that offered free bath towels as a bonus.

Later, I watched Dolly’s own 1970s TV show, and I was excited when she made “9 to 5” in 1980. I attended the movie as soon as it hit our local theater. Dolly was the main draw for me, and like others, I was interested in seeing how she would transition to the big screen. I watched her 1983 HBO London special more than once, and I went to see her in concert with Kenny Rogers on the heels of their “Islands in the Stream” duet. Sadly, Dolly had to cancel, but I finally saw her in concert in 2004. That’s where I walked up to the stage and took the photo that accompanies this post. 

I’ve always loved watching interviews with Dolly and getting a sense of her warmth, humor, sincerity, kindness, and “down-to-earthness.” Behind the glitz and glam and extreme success, she remained grounded and level-headed, never losing sight of where she came from, not “getting above her raising,” and remaining true to herself and her God-given talent. And most importantly, she anchored it all in her faith.

Within the past month, I paused to watch one of Dolly’s TV Christmas movies that I ran across while channel surfing, and I also rewatched “Steel Magnolias” for the umpteenth time. Of all the movies she starred in, I think that was her best performance. 

Then, of course, there are the visits over the years to Dollywood, where my favorite thing to do is visit the museum that recounts Dolly’s humble upbringing, her family and faith, and her connectedness to the mountains. And even just yesterday, I was listening to many of her songs that are on my Spotify playlist. 

So, it is entirely accurate to say I have been a lifelong fan of Dolly Parton, and I will miss seeing her. She was a rare talent, an exceptionally generous person, and beautiful inside and out. I’m so very glad that our lifetimes intersected. Thank you Dolly, for the positivity and light that you brought into the world. May you rest in peace.