Taylor Swift shared a heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton after the country music icon’s death at age 80.
“A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right. But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one,” Swift, 36, said in a statement obtained by Us on Tuesday, August 25.
“She was truly the gift that kept on giving. Dolly gave us someone to look up to while encouraging us to be who we are as individuals,” Swift continued. “Somehow she was able to give us her lessons about the world gently and honestly, simultaneously, and oftentimes hilariously. She managed to give the world the ultimate mystery and fantasy in some corners of her life, but to give full transparency in the ways that counted. Somehow she was true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person. She possessed the softest heart when it came to the struggles of others and a backbone of steel to defend her own self-worth as an artist.”
The Grammy winner went on, “Along with her other fans, I am so grateful for all of it. For the melodies and lyrics she wrote that thawed even the coldest hearts. For the millions of books she provided children all over the world so that they might fall in love with stories the way she did. For the tightropes she walked so that young girls like me could grow up dreaming of joining the circus too.”
“Dolly, I’ll think of you each step of the way,” the newly married pop star concluded her tribute.
Parton died in Nashville on Tuesday following a “brief battle with cancer,” a spokesperson for the star confirmed.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” her rep told People. “Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.”
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement said.
Before her death, Parton thanked Swift and husband Travis Kelce, 36, for a $2 million donation to her Imagination Library ahead of their July 3 wedding.
“I’m blown away and overjoyed with that gratitude,” Parton said in a video shared via Instagram last month.
Parton went on to joke, “Now, it’s evident that you have made giving back a key part of your lives, so hey, when you have your firstborn, can I have it? Because that is gonna be one special baby!”
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