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CNN's The Arena with Kasie Hunt
Legendary Musician & Philanthropist Dolly Parton Dead At 80. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired August 25, 2026 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:04]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: Breaking news, Dolly Parton a legend of country music and an icon of American culture has died.
Hi, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. Welcome to THE ARENA.
Heartbreaking news as we come on the air. Dolly Parton, a singular figure, someone universally loved has passed away at the age of 80. The news announced by her family this afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest. Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly and Granny Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton and may God bless you all. She will always love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: She will indeed.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has this look at the historic life and incredible legacy of Dolly Parton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A beloved country queen known for her vulnerable and poetic lyrics, like in her classic hit "Jolene".
(MUSIC)
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Dolly Parton's music was as popular as her bold style. Composing and performing booming anthems like "9 to 5" that resonated with office workers everywhere.
(MUSIC) WAGMEISTER (voice-over): She ranks among the most successful country recording artists of all time, with nearly 50 albums in more than 25 number one hits, a superstar who often sang about her humble small town Tennessee roots.
(MUSIC)
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The fourth of 12 children, she started singing hymns in church. Dolly moved to Nashville after high school graduation, aiming for work as a songwriter.
DOLLY PARTON, LEGENDARY MUSICIAN: I was just trying to make a living trying to find what I wanted to do, to have my songs recorded.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The petite singer modeled her signature style after a woman known for her promiscuity in her hometown.
PARTON: She was prettiest thing I'd ever seen. I was very impressed by the big hair she had, the lipstick and the nails and the high- heeled shoes.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Dolly got noticed quickly, scoring a recording deal and a regular gig on "The Porter Wagoner Show".
(MUSIC)
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Their collaboration lasted seven years. She wrote a song about parting ways with Wagoner, and it became a smash first in 1974.
(MUSIC)
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): And again when Whitney Houston recorded it nearly two decades later.
(MUSIC)
PARTON: Her version of that was spectacular. I always think of it as being our song.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Dolly said music made her a crossover success.
PARTON: It was a song that got me everywhere I've ever been.
(MUSIC)
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): She wrote the theme to "Nine to Five" and landed a lead role in the movie.
PARTON: And I shot a hole clean through my purse.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Some of her other films include the best little whorehouse in Texas.
PARTON: There's nothing dirty going on. WAGMEISTER (voice-over): And "Steel Magnolias".
PARTON: Young lady, you've just landed yourself a job.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Her many job titles included author, theme park owner and philanthropist. From setting up a literacy program for impoverished children to funding research for a COVID vaccine.
PARTON: Vaccine, vaccine. I'm begging of you. Please don't hesitate.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): She stayed low key about her charity work, insisting she saw herself as a musician first.
PARTON: My music is everything to me and I just -- that is what I grew from.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Dolly said her career was shaped by her family, faith and ambition.
PARTON: God first, me second, and I've been able to maneuver and live my life based on that and use my talent to the best of my ability.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Indeed, she did, writing an estimated 3,000 songs, and earning countless awards and honors, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an event Dolly dominated, even outranking the rock stars in 2022.
(MUSIC)
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): She released her first rock album at the age of 77, and often collaborated with younger singers. It all helped make Dolly Parton one of America's most beloved artists, with fans and admirers that spanned generations
PARTON: In the sweet by and by. We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[16:05:00]
HUNT: What an absolutely beautiful life.
All right. I want to bring in now CNN senior entertainment reporter Lisa France and "Variety's" senior music writer and their chief music critic, Chris Willman.
My panel is also here in THE ARENA.
Our CNN contributor, host of "The New York Times'" "The Interview", Lulu Garcia-Navarro, who interviewed Dolly Parton some years ago, CNN political analyst and historian Leah Wright Rigueur, former senior advisor, policy director for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, Josh Orton, former Republican congressman from Louisiana, Garret Graves will join us on perhaps one of our last topics that unites all of us, which is a deep and abiding love for Dolly Parton.
Lisa France, I want to start with you. What heartbreaking news today. What are your reflections on Dolly Parton's life and legacy? She has left us with so much.
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: She really has, and it was such an honor and a privilege for me every time I got the opportunity to interview her. And I remember back in 2023 when I talked to her about her book behind the scenes "My Life in Rhinestones", we were having a bit of problem with the lighting, and while that was getting set up, she just sat there, softly humming and singing to herself. And afterwards, every time I told that story, I said to people, I was convinced that's what heaven is going to sound like, because she was just such a beautiful voice.
I don't think there was a kinder or more genuine person, let alone celebrity, than Dolly Parton. When I talked to her about her donation for the vaccine and I said, well, Ms. Parton, have you scheduled to get the vaccine? And she said, "Oh, no, I'm going to wait my turn." And I said, "Ma'am, there would be no vaccine without you like you. Or you can fully jump the line." And she insisted, absolutely not. She said, "Oh, no, there are so many more people before me who need to get it."
And that's just who she was as a person. She was just a glorious, glorious individual, a true angel on earth. And I am positively gutted that we have lost her, Kasie.
HUNT: I want to bring in Chris Willman because as we look back on her life, Chris, you know, you've covered -- written about such a range of music, and Dolly Parton had an incredible range that that spanned and evolved and changed over decades. What are your reflections on Dolly Parton as a performer? And also, of course, a songwriter?
CHRIS WILLMAN, SENIOR MUSIC WRITER; CHIEF MUSIC CRITIC, VARIETY: Well, yeah, songwriting was so important to her. And yet, you know, she was not concerned about her cred, about getting her own due.
You know, I remember the first time I interviewed her, she called me out on a review I had just written where she had done like a traditional country project. And I had said, you know, this is what she should have been doing all along. Not this pop crossover fluff. And, you know, it was immediately embarrassed to be corrected by Dolly Parton. And yet she was right. She gave me like, this whole brilliant speech about how, like, the show business side of her was as important to her as acknowledging and sticking with her East Tennessee roots.
And so, and she wrote some of the greatest songs of all time, "I Will Always Love You", but you never heard her, like, advocating for her place. Like I need to be taken more seriously. But she played with that her whole life. One of her first singles was called "Dumb Blonds", and I think she loved the idea that people didn't take her seriously enough. And rather than, I'm going to get angry about that, that was something that, a dichotomy that she continued to play with all the way through to the end of her life, calling herself a big phony. And yet her authentic heart came out in all the -- all from the
beginning with those early songs like coat of many colors about poverty. And so, you know, so many different sides of Dolly Parton that all added up to who I think was the most beloved entertainer of all time.
HUNT: Well, and that's just the thing about her, right? If she had things about her that were, quote/unquote, "fake", there was absolutely nothing at all fake about Dolly Parton. She was authentic to herself, to her core.
Let's watch a little bit of "I Will Always Love You", which is just an iconic song that she of course, you saw her in that obituary, generously said was hers and Whitney Houston's. Even though, of course she wrote it much
(MUSIC)
HUNT: So, Lulu Garcia-Navarro, what are your reflections? Having interviewed her, you said in 2018 you spoke?
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah. 2018 when she was, did the music for a Netflix show called "Dumpling". I was -- I was just listening to it in advance of coming to the show, you sat down with Dolly Parton and you knew you were in the presence of someone who not only was exceptional, but also, as you said, this kind of genuine spirit. You could not tell Dolly what to talk about.
[16:10:00]
By the way, if you tried to lead Dolly down a road, if you wanted to ask her about something that she did not want to talk about, she'd be like, well, Ms. Lulu, I really don't know about that, but I'm going to tell you about what I really do know about. You know, she was incredibly smart about who she was, incredibly talented and just a kind and gifted person.
I also had the opportunity to interview Miley Cyrus, who was sort of, her goddaughter, her adopted goddaughter. And we had a long conversation about her relationship with Dolly Parton. And it tells you a lot about who Dolly Parton was. She was on the show that Miley had, "Hannah Montana". She was a guest sort of figure came on and kind of adopted her as her sort of fairy godmother, she would call it. And that tells you a lot about the kind of person that Dolly Parton was.
HUNT: Let's watch actually Dolly talking to our Anderson Cooper some years ago about this, about being Miley Cyrus's honorary goddaughter. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: So, Miley Cyrus is your goddaughter?
PARTON: Well, actually, Miley, I've known since she was a baby. I'm her honorary goddaughter. Billy Ray and I have been friends ever since "Achy Breaky Heart". We got to working together, and so we stayed close.
And then when Miley was born, he said, you just have to be her godmother. I said, I don't know if I'll be around to where I can actually do all the duties that a godmother does. Let me be her fairy godmother. So I love being that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Lisa France, let me go to you on that one. She was around for -- to be able to see so much of what Miley Cyrus did in her career. And it again, just speaks to the person Dolly was.
FRANCE: Yeah, she mentored so many in the music industry and including Miley Cyrus. Miley does an incredible version of "Jolene". It's a great cover.
But I also think about when Beyonce reinterpreted the song and she had Dolly Parton in the beginning of the song, and Dolly was thrilled by it. She just loved music so much, but she also loved musicians. She loved the craft, but she loved the performers and she was so generous with her time to younger performers, and she never really seemed to grasp that she was an icon.
She just was like, you know, oh, I found a thing that I've loved and this is my thing, and this is what I do. And you could not get across the Dolly Parton, who Dolly Parton was. I tried every single time I would talk to her, and she was so self-deprecating. And I would say, but ma'am, you're Dolly Parton. And she would say, oh, come on, you know, because to her, she just was doing what she loved to do and what she felt like she was put here on earth to do. And as you said earlier, what a beautiful life.
HUNT: Indeed. Let's watch a little bit more of it here. We have a clip of -- this is not Miley Cyrus' "Jolene", but it's Dolly and Pink. Let's watch a little bit.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
HUNT: That's all I can do not to sing along, which would enjoy -- no one would enjoy that.
But, Leigh, I saw you nodding along when, uh, it was mentioned that Beyonce also sang Dolly songs she meant so much to, and she really influenced everything. Go ahead.
LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Yes. And so, I think one of the big things about, you know, this giant spirit of a woman and who everyone loved and who genuinely seemed to love everyone was just the way that she would take people under her wing, that she would mentor them, that she would legitimize them and validate them as well.
And so, this is actually a really important thing when we see Cowboy Carter comes out by Beyonce in 2024. And so, we see all of these, not just all of these covers by Beyonce, but we also see that Dolly Parton is actually on the album. She's part of an interlude. She does a song with Beyonce and she says, I'm giving her my blessing. So, for a woman who is both in terms of Beyonce, a woman who is trying
to cut into and make a statement within the country arena, here you have the giant of country music, the OG, the one who everyone -- I mean, we just saw the whole -- the whole rundown saying, I am giving you my blessing.
But not only that, I love the version that you've done and I'm going to do a song with you as well. And so, this is the kind of person that she was, right?
HUNT: When we think about just how universally beloved she was, that it's -- that that spirit of generosity towards all. And of course, that is part of her philanthropic work as well. I don't know -- has anyone else spent a childhood with one of their kids receiving the books from Dolly's imagination library? I mean, the number of times I've read "A Coat of Many Colors" to my children. She reached so many in so many ways.
JOSH ORTON, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR AND POLICY DIRECTOR, SANDERS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: We always go down to the mailbox to look for the Dolly book. Like, I think she's kind of the exception to the old adage that you should never meet your heroes. You should never look at them up close, right?
[16:15:00]
She projected love not just through her music, not just through her large charitable acts, but for all accounts, in person and in everyday life.
And I think, you know, at the end of the day, you can say something about Dolly Parton that you can say about few public figures these days, which is that she did whatever she wanted, no matter who told her no. And she cared more about other people than she cared about herself.
HUNT: She truly did.
GARRET GRAVES (R), FORMER LOUISIANA CONGRESSMAN: Look, growing up in the South, Dolly Parton was an icon and still is. One of the great things about her. And listen to us, everyone here, sitting here talking about how great she is. This is the first time I've been here everybody agrees. This is amazing.
But -- I mean, incredible performer, incredible uniter, using her gifts for good. And the last thing is, is watching her over the last 50 years, I was fairly certain she was immortal. And I'll tell you, this is a -- this day is a real wake up call. It is -- this is a sad day.
HUNT: Yeah. Elizabeth Wagmeister was on our air earlier saying that it was just impossible to imagine that Dolly Parton could ever die. And in so many ways she won't.
And, you know, one, one thing about Dolly Parton that always struck me is we talked a little bit about she's got the hair, she's got the nails. She talked about being weighed down by rhinestones.
But she also was incredibly tough. And that also came across. She was feminine but tough. And there's this moment in the movie "Nine to Five" that I think underscores it, that we found. Let's watch it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARTON: Look, I got a gun out there in my purse, and up to now I've been forgiven and forgetting because of the way I was brought up. But I'll tell you one thing. If you ever say another word about me or make another indecent proposal, I'm going to get that gun of mine. And I'm going to change you from a rooster to a hen with one shot. Don't think I can't do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Don't think I can't do it.
And, Chris Willman, it sounds like you got a little bit of taste of that when she was talking to you about your review. We were talking here about kind of the broad influence that she had across music, the collaboration she did with Beyonce. Are there any other figures like her even out there? I mean, she seems so singular in this way.
WILLMAN: Yeah, I mean, I've -- I've wondered, am I stretching to consider her the most universally popular entertainer in show business history? I don't think I am.
I mean, Charlie Chaplin, Elvis, the Beatles, Madonna, Taylor Swift, they've all got their polarizing side. There's all people who go those -- I have no use for those people. I've never met anyone who didn't love Dolly Parton.
And that stretches from, you know, the most redneck climbs you can imagine to, you know, obviously the LGBTQ community and, you know, Donald Trump put out a sympathetic tweet today and I thought, okay, this is going to be like the first Donald Trump tweet that no one has an issue with because, she's -- she was a uniter and she -- she wanted not to be polarizing, but people certainly knew and sensed her inclusivity.
And, so -- and, you know, the fact that she, you know, we associate her with poverty, we associate her with kind of the Studio 54 scene when country sort of overlapped with disco in the late '70s. And she was -- she appeared on the cover of "Playboy" wearing rabbit ears, and yet was the most wholesome sort of sex bomb of all time because everyone knew that she, Karl Dean was the guy. And so, you know, she was untouchable.
So, you know, all, all these wonderful dichotomies that somehow never alienated like a single soul in history.
HUNT: The most wholesome sex bomb, I -- you know, you get a -- get a new title every day I guess if you're Dolly Parton.
Lulu, I mean, watching "Nine to Five", you know, you saw her acting there. I mean, the sort of fire that she brought to everything she did.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. You saw Dolly Parton in a role and you immediately believed her because that authenticity, you know, just listening to all the words that have been used and the word that really defines her as Dolly Parton was love, right? She in everything that she did, she exuded love.
And that allowed for everyone to be included in the Dolly Parton show. Nobody felt like they couldn't sit at that table. And I think that is her enduring message in this time of great division. She knew. She understood that this is a time in our country that was very difficult. And she wanted everyone to feel like the gift that she would give was acceptable to everyone. Doesn't matter what you believed in, didn't matter what your sexuality was, didn't matter at all. She -- you were welcome.
HUNT: And on that note, we're actually looking live at Dolly Parton's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She, of course, we've only been without her.
[16:20:00]
We've only known that we have lost her for a few short hours, and already you can see the tributes that are pouring in.
All right. Everyone's going to stand by for us.
When we come back, we are going to talk much more about the immense legacy that Dolly Parton leaves behind as an artist, a philanthropist and an American icon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTERVIEWER: What's the most important thing to you in your life?
PARTON: Well, I guess just being able to, like I said before, to make a living at doing what I love to do the most. So that's very important. And to -- to be thought of as a fairly decent human being.
But my heart is true. And I just, you know, hope that people see that. So, I've enjoyed a lot of success. And so, it's all important to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
HUNT: That is "Best Woman Wins" by the one, the only Dolly Parton and award-winning country music star Lorrie Morgan.
And Lorrie joins us now. She, of course, as you can see -- we've all stopped our lives for Dolly Parton.
But, Lorrie, you performed with her. You wrote with her, and I'm just so honored that you would take a few minutes of your time. I'm honored to have you on the program, but I'd love for you to share where you are, why it's so important for you to share what you remember of the life and legacy, the woman, the person, Dolly Parton.
LORRIE MORGAN, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: Well, you know, the world of music has kind of stopped tonight and, no matter where you are, whether it's Paris or, the Smoky Mountains, no matter where you are, Dolly Parton was a part of your life. Whether you're a rock and roll or rap or, soul, Dolly -- Dolly was a part of everybody's lives, and we need to stop and remember Dolly.
I mean, I didn't know until 20 minutes ago that Dolly had passed away when my brother Marty called me over here and I was. I was just shocked.
I mean, Dolly was an inspiration to me. She recorded with me. She kind of took me under her wing and we -- Dolly and I shared a lot of women secrets together. And, she said, you know, I'll go to my grave with these secrets. And I said, I will too.
And she was just a big inspiration for me and an icon to all of us women in country music and not just in country music. I mean, we're talking Beyonce and beyond, and she will be missed. She will be -- she, you know, and somebody said she should run for president.
And I'm like, yes, because she wasn't she wasn't on either side. She wasn't, you know, she was just in the middle. She was for everybody. And she was an inspiration and, a true icon for all of us.
HUNT: Lorrie, what was it like to sing with her? To sing a duet with her?
MORGAN: Embarrassing. I was -- I was so mortified. I was like -- I was like, what if I don't do well, and she says, it's not good, you know? I mean, you want to please Dolly.
Okay. So, she sent me the song and she was in the studio when I went and recorded it. It's called the "May the Best Woman Win". And I was just so relaxed around her. And I remember her eating this little bitty tiny sandwich right before we went in and did my vocals. And, I said, "So that's the secret?" She said, "All little bitty bites, honey, all little bitty bites".
HUNT: Oh, I'm going to remember that. Do you remember the very first time that you met her?
MORGAN: I do. I was -- I was probably 13 years old and I was at the taping of a "Porter Wagoner Show", and my dad, George Morgan, was a guest on the show. And Dolly -- I was in the audience and Dolly introduced my dad, as not just a great singer, but so handsome, that very handsome George Morgan. And I was like, yes, he is. Yes, he is.
And I've still got -- I mean, you can still find that on YouTube where she introduced my dad as the very handsome George Morgan. And he was, he started his song and he said, thank you, Dolly, for that introduction. And, that was like the first -- one of the first times I'd met her. And I said, I'm going to be her. HUNT: Talk a little bit more about, you know, this idea that she took
you under her wing, for women to do that for each other. Not every woman does. It -- I'm sure -- surprises no one to learn that Dolly Parton did that for other women, but she came up at a time when being a woman in public life was tough and --
[16:30:07]
MORGAN: Well, and espec --
HUNT: Yeah. Go ahead.
MORGAN: I'm sorry. And especially a woman in country music, not just life. But country music, the business, and was just all men. And Dolly really had a lot to prove and really helped us women to be strong and, you know, say, look, we're not just dumb blonds. We're not just dumb brunettes.
We know what life's about. We know the songs. We wrote the songs. The songs were written about us. If we didn't write them, they were written about us.
And Dolly was not afraid to share that with the world. And she ended up, you know, the part of the reason why the women in country music ended up making the same amount of money as the guys in country music for doing shows, because we're not going to accept that were going to put our foot down.
And, you know, we're music makers, too. We're businesswomen. We're not just dummies. We're businesswomen. And we know what we're doing.
And Dolly was a leader in that. And she helped me with so many decisions and so many wrong turns that turned out to be right turns.
HUNT: Did she ever help you or talk to you about the esthetic that she had, the way she looked? I mean, she clearly knew who she was, and it took a certain amount of fearlessness to do that.
MORGAN: No. No, no, she never talked about that because I was like, in awe of it. The only thing she ever talked to me about was she would never tell me the perfume she wore. And she said, now that is my secret.
(LAUGHTER)
HUNT: Absolutely.
MORGAN: And she never told me her perfume. And so, I thought, well, should I tell everybody what I wear? But it doesn't matter because it didn't. Nothing smelled like Dolly.
She walked in a room, and it was like poof. Dolly's here. Outfit, smell, everything. She was just perfect.
HUNT: Perfect. That is a -- that is a perfect place to end. Lorrie Morgan, I'm so honored to have your reflections here. Thank you for taking time out of your beautiful Parisian vacation.
MORGAN: Thank you.
HUNT: We've got a lovely shot of the Eiffel Tower behind you, which, let's be real. That's what a way to honor Dolly Parton. Okay, on the Eiffel Tower.
MORGAN: I mean, she always told me. Lorrie, go live your life. Go live your life.
HUNT: Well, we're happy to see you living yours. And we're so sad, of course, that Dolly no longer with us.
MORGAN: God bless Dolly.
HUNT: God bless Dolly.
Lorrie Morgan, thank you. Appreciate it.
All right. Ahead here, we're going to have much more on Dolly Parton's legacy, including her incredibly unique place in American culture and in our politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTERVIEWER: I am sure somewhere in the course of your career, somebody has suggested that you run for president.
PARTON: Yeah --
INTERVIEWER: -- because based on popularity -- no, seriously, hasn't somebody along the way says, Dolly, why don't you run for -- why don't you run for that White House?
PARTON: But you know what I say? We've had enough boobs in the White House. They don't need me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:37:35]
HUNT: The late Dolly Parton -- it's devastating to have to say that. I -- sorry. She accomplished a feat that is increasingly rare in today's, of course, highly politicized culture. Everybody loved her. Both sides of the aisle.
Dolly had been offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom by both Presidents Trump and Biden, but she was concerned about making it seem political more recently, she laughed off the possibility of her own presidential run. She said in 2023, quote, "I'm not smart enough to be in politics. Or maybe I'm too smart." I'm going to go with the latter.
The country music legend also making this quip about a President Parton. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTERVIEWER: I am sure somewhere in the course of your career, somebody has suggested that you run for president.
PARTON: Yeah --
INTERVIEWER: -- because based on popularity -- no, seriously, hasn't somebody along the way says, Dolly, why don't you run for -- why don't you run for that White House?
PARTON: But you know what I say? We've had enough boobs in the White House. They don't need me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: On that note, I want to bring in the country music artist Chely Wright, who was privileged to know Dolly Parton a little bit in a really special way, actually. And, Chely, I'm so honored to have you here on the show to share your reflections.
I know that Dolly Parton supported you through one of the most difficult times in your own life. Tell us about her and about that.
CHELY WRIGHT, COUNTRY MUSIC ARTIST: Yeah. Hey, Kasie. It's good to be here with you today. Dolly, she should have run for president. She -- she'd be a shoo in for sure. And she was the smartest person in the room at all times. And, you know, Dolly was a friend to everyone who put a guitar on their back and made a pilgrimage to Nashville. She was a friend to singers of songs. She was a friend to writers of songs. And, you know, when I came to Nashville and I arrived in 1989 and started making records in the early '90s, you know, she was a friend to me and to, again, all of, all of us who made our way to Music Row with stars in our eyes and a dream to be on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
I don't know how she made time to be such a great friend and mentor to so many of us, but she did. And those friendships that you make in music and in the music industry and certainly in country music, once you make a friend, you really can't lose a friend.
[16:40:09]
And through the course of my career, I had ups and downs and challenges. And I'll never forget that when I finally had my first big hit record, she made her way across the room. We were out at the Academy of Country -- Academy of Country Music Awards, and she made her way across the room. We were all kind of doing a meet and greet, and she walked over to me and, you know, kind of grabbed me and gave me a hug, and she said, "You got yourself a big old hit." She said, "You did it. Keep on going, girl."
But -- and then I would face more challenge -- more kind of trying, peaks and valleys in my career. And she was always there to give a, a supportive word and lend a hand. And, and then in 2010, I faced a pretty significant milestone in my career. I had made the decision to come out of the closet. And in country music, there had never been a commercial country music artist, that was a product of Music Row that had ever come out of the closet.
And when I did, of course, it made some waves and it -- it was an interesting time, as anticipated. But Dolly was one of the ones that I'll never forget. I was being given an award. I probably didn't deserve in New York City, maybe a year or so after I came out and Dolly recorded the most beautiful, you know, presentation of the award to me.
And I think it was called the Vanguard Award, apologies, it slipped my mind exactly what the award was, but it was Dolly who presented that to me. And she very knowingly used her power for the queer community for decades, for a long time, well before I ever came out. But when I did come out, she used her power to support me and be the friend that she was to me.
HUNT: Well, should we should we watch that? Let's watch that again. We have it. Let's look at Dolly's message to you in that.
WRIGHT: Oh, you have it?
HUNT: We do. Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARTON: Well, hey, everybody, I wanted to take a minute to say how proud I am about music Vanguard Award winner Chely Wright. Of course. I've always loved her talent. I thought she was wonderful, and I've always considered her a friend. So I was tickled to death that I got to present her this award.
So, congratulations, Chely, and hello to everybody else out there. Of course, I've always been out with my music. I can never keep it in.
Anyway, have a good time. Good night. Congratulations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: What's it like to watch that again, Chely?
WRIGHT: You know, I have never seen that again since that night that it was played and I -- I've -- I will tell you, I've sent out a couple of emails over the years trying to find that. I looked on my phone and my computer, I -- that -- I've never seen that since.
And I'll be honest with you, I can't actually see the screen. I can see just a placeholder on the screen today. So, I -- I will ask you to send that to me --
HUNT: We'll make sure you have it, for sure. Yeah.
Chely, you also apparently have a guitar that belonged to Dolly Parton. We're -- we've got about 30 seconds. Tell us about it.
WRIGHT: Yeah, yeah. So back in the early '90s, so Dolly, Dolly got part of her start early on in her career as the girl singer on "The Porter Wagoner Show". That's -- that's how it was referred. We were referred to back then.
But in the early '90s, I was the girl singer at Porter Wagoner Band, and he gave me a guitar that used to be Dolly's. And I've cherished that guitar for all these years. And in fact, she and I talked years -- years, about 20 years ago. And I said, Dolly, was this really your guitar? And she said, describe it to me. And I said, well, it's got flowers and birds all over the front of it.
HUNT: Our audience is looking at it. So --
WRIGHT: I said, Dolly, if you want, I can get this old guitar back, this guitar back to you. And she said, Chely, you keep that old guitar. That old guitar has got a lot of new songs left in it.
HUNT: Okay, Chely Wright, this whole show is -- I mean, my goodness, remembering Dolly Parton, it's just incredible. Thank you very much for spending some time and sharing your memories with us. I really appreciate it.
WRIGHT: Thank you. And long live Dolly. Thank you, Kasie.
HUNT: All right. Coming up next here, we're going to have more on the tributes that are pouring in for Dolly Parton and Dolly Parton. she's a legend, of course, known for her talent, her generosity, and her one of a kind style.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARTON: I like the attention. If I got out of an elevator and didn't get some attention, I'd go right back to my room and make the hair bigger, put on more makeup, and make the dress lower. Kind of like a kid playing in paints and crayons.
I love all this. God, I love the paint, the makeup. In fact, I have my own line of makeup now born just because I love it. I love to play in it. And the hair has always been great. So, I mean great to play in. It's not great to look at.
LARRY KING, FORMER CNN HOST: Smell of the greasepaint and the roar of the crowd.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:49:20]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARTON: It goes, books, books. Oh, I got artificial nails. So, it makes sounds like this. Can you hear that?
Okay, let me get a little rhythm here. Oh, books, books. I love books, the way they feel and smell and look. From my first look, I was hooked on books, books, books.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: When we think of Dolly Parton -- I mean, there is so much that comes to mind. But for me, her generosity is really what I have been thinking about. She gave so much to charity, and she donated so many books to children. She had this incredible program called the Imagination Library.
[16:50:04]
And if any of you have done it for your children, it's the first five years of their life. One of them that you'll get is one that she wrote. I've read it many, many times to my children. It's this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARTON: Hello, kitties. You want me to read a book to you? You do? Well, I'm going to.
In my coat of many colors that my mama made for me, made only from rags, but I wore it so proudly. And although we had no money, I was rich as I could be in my coat of many colors mama made for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: It's really hard to watch that without tearing up. Dolly talked to CNN in 1994 about writing that iconic book.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARTON: I love to write children's things, and as you may or may not know, I have a famous song called "Coat of Many Colors".
KING: But you don't have children?
PARTON: I don't have children. No, but I'm from a family of 12 children, and I've practically raised about five of my younger brothers and sisters. And so now their children are my little nieces and nephews are like my grandchildren. So, I'm always making stories for them, always writing songs for them.
So, the little coat of many colors. HarperCollins approached me about starting a children's series, and I thought that was a wonderful idea for a story. And it's really more than just a song. It's an attitude.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: It's an attitude.
Our panel is back.
Lulu, when she says that, I mean, this book for those who haven't read it, it's about, you know, a little girl who wears this coat of many colors to school, and the kids with clothes that aren't handmade, that are store bought, aren't nice to her about it. And it talks about how -- what's in that coat is love. The love of her mother that made this coat for her. And reading this book to my children made Dolly a part of our lives,
of their lives from a very, very small age in a way that was just -- it's an attitude, yes, but could there be a message that you'd rather have your children come home with?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: She knew struggle. She knew what it was to come from poverty, to have to prove herself. And throughout that, the message that she kept on wanting to give people was that you have to carry others with you along the way.
You're making me very teary. I'm sorry to tell you. It's -- you know, we sit here often and we -- at these moments and, and it's hard to grasp what people mean to a country, but I think everyone in their hearts understands what Dolly means to them because she has touched so many different parts of people's lives. Reading to your children at night, listening to a song while you're falling asleep, going on a date and dancing with your husband, you know?
Like she's just been the music and the voice and the image in so many different parts of our lives.
HUNT: And it really is what -- it's what it is to be alive. Leah, one of her most famous things was she would say, you know, when you're trying to make a living, don't forget to make a life along the way.
RIGUEUR: I mean, one of the stories that I love about Dolly Parton is the story of her marriage to her husband, Carl. And as we all know, carl passed away last year. So, there is some kind of -- I mean, one of the things that we've seen, the outpouring is that Dolly is reunited with her beloved Carl.
But I think the bigger story of that is that Carl chose to stay out of the spotlight and Dolly let him have that, and said that was integral to their story of love, but also about how they chose to. They didn't have children, but chose to become parents to not just a couple, you know, she says, five siblings or things like that. But it's also nieces, nephews.
And then really, through their philanthropy, becoming mothers and fathers to this much larger community that ends up encompassing not just the United States, but I think seven different countries across the globe. And so, there's this real investment in something bigger than yourself that is also about a community and creating a community with this person, and creating a community that is authentic to them. But that is also about inclusivity and about being -- thinking bigger than yourself.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: She was the best of us.
HUNT: She was. She was absolutely, absolutely the best of us.
All right, we are going to take a break here, but I do want to leave you with this. Ten years ago, we here at CNN asked Dolly Parton what she thought her younger self would make of her career. And all of the success that she had and that she shared with us.
[16:55:00]
Here's what she told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARTON: Well, I think she'd be very proud. She who she dreamed of being all those many years ago. And thank God for America that dreams can come true. And I always love those rags to riches stories because it is -- it shows you that dreams can come true. And living in a wonderful place like America, even coming from, you know, from the salt of the earth like we did, you know, I think that's -- that makes for wonderful stories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HUNT: Thanks so much to all of you for joining us to share your reflections. Thanks to all of you at home for watching.
CNN's coverage of the life and legacy of Dolly Parton continues next. "THE LEAD" is anchored today by Phil Mattingly.
