Donald Trump has paid tribute to Dolly Parton following the death of the country music legend, praising her as one of the greatest singers ever and ordering flags to be lowered across the country for a week in her honor.
“Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away,” Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social.
“This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will.”
Parton died peacefully in Nashville at the age of 80 on Tuesday, just four days after saying, “I still have so many things I want to achieve.”
She had shared an update on her health on Friday, Aug. 21, acknowledging her recent decline after the death of her husband, Carl Dean, in March last year.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, revealed the news in an Instagram video on Tuesday afternoon.
As tributes began pouring in, Trump ordered flags lowered beginning at 6 pm Tuesday, calling Parton “a true loss for millions of people” and ending his message: “The World loves you.”
The unusually gracious post from the often incendiary president came despite Parton being one of the few celebrities Trump tried repeatedly to honor—only to have her repeatedly decline him.
During his first presidency, his administration offered Parton the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—twice. She turned it down both times.
The first time, she said, her husband was ill. The second time, she did not want to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parton later also declined the honor under President Joe Biden, saying she did not want accepting it to appear political.
For many, this was part of Parton’s charm, as she largely and deliberately stayed above the political fray.
A woman whose music became woven into American life, Parton was embraced by conservatives and liberals alike, and her death prompted an outpouring of grief from across the political and cultural spectrum.
“Wow so sad Dolly Parton has died,” said Trump ally and occasional conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer.
“She was in great shape in 2023 when she performed at the NFL halftime show on Thanksgiving. I wonder how she passed.”
Former Trump GOP presidential rival Nikki Haley described her as “an American treasure and loss for our country.”
“Her contagious energy and spirit made everyone smile. She will be missed,” Haley said.
“Rest in peace, Dolly. A true legend and national treasure,” the group Republicans Against Trump added on X.
With her trademark rhinestones, blonde hair, and buxom figure—which Dolly herself often joked about—Parton was a musician, philanthropist, movie star, and cultural icon.
By the end of her career, she had written more than 3000 songs and sold more than 100 million records. Her hits included Jolene, Nine to Five and the iconic I Will Always Love You, which was rebranded decades later by another music legend, Whitney Houston.
In his video announcing her death, Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver said: “This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.
“As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
However, Parton’s fame was secondary to what she once said she wanted to be remembered for: her charitable work through “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library”. The initiative provides free books to children from birth through age 5.
“My dad couldn’t read or write, and that was kind of crippling to him,” Parton said in 2020 via E News.
“Of all the things I’ve done in my life—and it’s been a lot because I’ve been around a long time—this is one of the most precious things and the proudest I’ve been of any program I’ve ever been involved in, working with these kids.”
