So Long Dolly

The world feels less sparkly today. From one of 11 siblings growing up in a one-room shack to a revered songwriter, singer, and a world-wide star, “this dumb blond ain’t nobody’s fool”.

Dolly Parton made a lot of money and gave a lot of it away - to paediatric hospitals, communities displaced by wildfires, to schools, kids literacy programs, and more.

When a Tennessee representative proposed a bill to erect a statue in Parton's honour on the grounds of the state capitol in 2021, she politely declined.

"At this point in history, is there a better example, not just in America but in the world, of a leader that is a kind, decent, passionate human being?" the politician told reporters at the time.

But Parton felt uncomfortable being "put on a pedestal”.

It also took some convincing before she agreed to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, initially insisting she "hadn't done enough" to deserve it.

You did plenty Dolly. R.I.P.