Emotional Cher Pinpoints Dolly Parton’s Singular Gift
The singing superstars were friends for almost half a century.
Superstar Cher paid an emotional tribute to her friend of almost 50 years, country icon Dolly Parton.
Parton’s death at the age of 80 was announced on Tuesday. In a statement to People, her representatives said she died following a “brief battle with cancer,” but did not disclose which type.
Cher, 80, first met Parton in 1978 at her manager’s house, after he had also just taken over managing the country star. In her book Cher: The Memoir, Part One, released in 2024, she recalled seeing “an extraordinary-looking woman with a mass of blond curls.”
Dolly Parton and Cher appearing on the ABC tv special 'Cher ... Special' in 1978.
Walt Disney Television Photo Arc/ABC
Cher’s manager told her, “Don’t make your mind up based on appearance. You’re going to love her. She’s a fabulous country singer. Her name is Dolly Parton.”
“He was right, and she is still my friend to this day,” Cher wrote.
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An emotional Cher phoned into CBS News on Tuesday, where host Gayle King asked if she was “surprised” by the country star’s sudden death, after previously revealing some health issues, including kidney stones, that had seen her cancel shows.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Cher admitted.
King also asked Cher if she was surprised how Parton “handled” her health issues, telling fans last Friday, “It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health. But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago.”
Dolly Parton on stage circa 1975.
Michael Ochs/Getty Images
“Not really, no,” Cher said. “Because it was her spirit. I mean, like, no matter what was happening, she was either going to go with it or it was going to get better.”
The “Believe” singer also shared her insight into what she thought Parton’s singular gift as an entertainer was.
“She walked across the stage, every once in a while she would bend over to reach out... to the people that were closest to her and she smiled. I mean, that... it’s a gift. You don’t come by that gift.”
Cher added that Parton’s spirit was “always thinking the best was happening, the best was gonna happen. Her friends loved her. Her life was good. That’s who she was.”
Singer and actress Cher poses with Dolly Parton for a portrait in 1978 in Los Angeles, California.
Harry Langdon/Getty Images
Host Tony Dokoupil mentioned Parton’s deliberate choice to stay out of politics, which risked alienating her fanbase.
“Well, because she was smart,” Cher said. “You want to jump into politics, you gotta be you got to be... well, I mean, she was tough, too. So, I don’t know.”
Cher then referenced Parton appearing in her 1978 TV variety show Cher... Special, where the country musician dressed in white to play an angel representing good and led a group of singers to save Cher’s soul.
“She played an angel, so, how perfect,” Cher said. “She played an angel beckoning me to heaven because I was going down the wrong path.”
Dolly Parton performing at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, in June 2014.
Cathal McNaughton/Reuters
Parton’s memorable appearance on the special earned her the first Emmy nomination of her career.
Cher picked “Islands in the Stream,” her duet with Kenny Rogers, and “I Will Always Love You,” later covered by Whitney Houston, as her favorite Dolly Parton songs, and when asked what she will miss most about Parton, she said, “Her laugh.”
Parton’s health decline followed the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, in March 2025. Last October, Parton admitted Dean had been sick a “long time,” during which time she noted, “I didn’t take care of myself.” The cause of Dean’s death has not been publicly revealed.
Singer Dolly Parton reads her book, "The Coat of Many Colors" to schoolchildren at The Library of Congress on February 27, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Shannon Finney/Getty Images
Her family said in a statement on Tuesday, “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 website says that a “small, private service” will be held for immediate family, who have asked fans to make donations to Parton’s Imagination Library charity in lieu of flowers. The program mails free books to children until they begin school.
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