The worlds of country music, pop iconography and devoted philanthropy have been left missing a whole lot of heart and rhinestones this week.
Dolly Parton, the mind and voice behind “I Will Always Love You,” “9 to 5,” “Jolene” and more classics spanning a six-decade career, died Tuesday at the age of 80.
The “Queen of Country” for years lived with an autoimmune disorder and more recently, a brief battle with cancer.
Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the 11-time Grammy winning singer-songwriter and Emmy-winning actress’s death in a video posted to social media.
“My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you,” Seaver said. “She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not.”
Parton leaves behind not only a legacy of iconic music and film, but a bit of heart she gave to virtually every corner of the world. Parton’s Dollywood theme park, which brought her birthplace and home state of Tennessee an onslaught of job opportunities and a boosted economy, was just the start of her endeavors to give. Her legacy and talents were even very entwined with the City Beautiful.
Here are some of the cultural touchstones and gifts Parton left us in Central Florida.
Dolly Parton’s Stampede
Dolly Parton’s Stampede was a dinner show founded by the queen herself, right here in Orlando; think Medieval Times, country-style. Formerly under a different name dropped by Parton’s team in line with “changing attitudes,” the Stampede opened on Vineland Avenue along I-4 in 2003 and closed sadly and abruptly in 2008.
Words of Comfort After Pulse
Parton offered comfort and solace to Orlando (especially our LGBTQ+ community) after the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub. Parton spoke about the tragedy at a press conference a few days afterward.
“First of all, I do have a big gay following,” Parton told reporters at a press conference in Toronto. “I’m a patron saint for a lot of them guys, and it makes me feel good. … As far as what happened in Orlando, that’s horrible. It wouldn’t matter what kind of club it was. It happened to be a gay, lesbian club… And it’s a hate crime, it looks to me, is what they said.”
“I just think it’s terrible that people kill anybody for any reason. But the fact that you just kill somebody for being something you don’t agree with or don’t understand or accept, that’s terrible,” she added. “It’s just terrible period. We should just love one another a little more, don’t you think?”
Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was started by the singer to supply children with books and instill an interest in reading. She started the library in 1995 in honor of her dad, who was unable to read.
Today, the organization has given free books to more than 2.5 million kids, including thousands right here in Central Florida.
The Imagination Library has partners in five counties across Central Florida: Orange, Lake, Volusia, Polk and Flagler. Local nonprofit partners align kids in the community, aged 5 and under, with funds to cover the cost of books each month.
Orange County signed up its first child to the program in 2012, and has since supplied more than 1,500 kids with nearly 40,000 books locally.
Orlando Drag Loves Dolly
Of course there have been countless Dolly Parton anthems performed fabulously over the years by Orlando drag artists, and likely there will be many more. But Parton had a particularly outsized influence on local drag royalty and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Ginger Minj.
Minj released a country album in 2022, Double Wide Diva, that had Parton’s musical rhinestone dust all over it, and showed off many Dolly-inspired looks for her role in the Netflix film Dumplin’.
Minj took to social media to express her heartbreak over Parton’s passing: “I’m so sad to hear about the passing of Dolly Parton, a one of a kind icon that will never be replaced. I’m grateful for the few times our paths crossed and the kindness she showed not only to me but to everyone in the room. RIP, Angel.”
Orlando Music and Dolly Parton
Local music aficionados are well aware of the influence of Dolly Parton on our city’s formidable roots and Americana scenes. Whether it be Hannah Harber, Amy Robbins, Beth McKee and her Swamp Vistas or even Luscious Lisa and Double Bubble if you go further afield, you can hear and see plenty of Parton’s songcraft and sass.
Gatorland
Back in fall 2023, Orlando’s storied reptile attraction took in a baby alligator missing the upper half of her jaw. Of course, she was swiftly named Jawlene in honor of Parton’s hit song “Jolene,” and became a local celebrity. Jawlene is still going strong after nearly three years at the park, and will continue to carry with her the legacy of an immortal ballad of heartbreak.
Attractions
Parton is no stranger to awards and honorifics in music, having been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. But did you know that Parton was also inducted into Orlando-based global attractions association IAAPA’s Hall of Fame in 2025 for her work creating Dollywood? The Parton-themed amusement park remains a pop-culture landmark in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Flight No. 925
Orlando’s Dolly Parton fans will for a short time be able to step away from their 9-to-5s and straight into Dollywood. A limited specialty flight, courtesy of Allegiant Airlines and named after Parton’s 1980s hit “9 to 5,” is set to fly passengers in November from the Orlando area to Knoxville, Tennessee’s McGhee Tyson Airport.
This glammed-up and Dollyfied version of Allegiant’s usual nonstop flight to Knoxville was intended for Parton fans traveling from Central Florida to the Dolly-infused theme park just in time for its holiday celebrations.
It will be as close as Orlando gets to having some of Parton’s rhinestone-bedecked magic in our city limits for the final time.
