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Legendary Musician and Philanthropist Dolly Parton has Died. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 25, 2026 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:30:00]

ROBERT OERMANN, CO-AUTHOR DOLLY PARTON, SONGTELLER, MY LIFE IN LYRICS: Every positive thing you could possibly ascribe to a living person, that was Dolly. I never got over her. Like I said, I knew her for 40 years.

I never got over her. The first few times I interviewed her, I couldn't even look at her. I was afraid I would turn to stone.

She was so beautiful. And it turned out she was even more beautiful on the inside when I got past the outside part. And that, I will never forget her.

She's one of the reasons I fell in love with country music. One of the reasons I moved to Nashville. And one of the reasons I do what I do today is because of her.

And I will never, ever, ever get over. I said to somebody one time, I can die now. Dolly Parton knows my name.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, I mean, she was someone who found such a common ground. Like, like you said, you said she came from this isolated mountain upbringing where obviously she knew what, for instance, the gift of literacy or not having it, what that could mean for you in your life. That's the same thing that you might experience in the inner city.

And that's sort of the reach of what her philanthropic effort was, right? And in a time where people have a hard time finding common ground, there's something about Dolly Parton that speaks to that. Can you talk to us a little bit about how she saw that?

OERMANN: The very, very first book you get as a baby from the Imagination Library is The Little Engine That Could. That pretty much says it all. I mean, that is her story in a nutshell.

She is and was the little engine that could. And it's an inspiring story. And she's an inspiring figure, no matter how you look at her.

There is something, I don't want to say religious, I honestly believe she was anointed. She is so inspired and inspiring as a figure that it goes off the charts. It's just, there's no one else like her anywhere and never has been. You would, you would look for the rest of your days to find somebody as widely beloved as that woman is and was. And in some ways, people like that don't die. As long as there are movies and as long as there are record players, people will rediscover her and find and be touched as I have been touched my whole life by her.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Well, let's talk about the music for a moment, Robert. She sold more than a hundred --

OERMANN: That's what I came in on.

SANCHEZ: Yes, she sold more than a hundred million records worldwide, composed over 3000 songs, 44 career top 10 country albums. And it was her 49th solo studio album released in 2023 that became her highest charting billboard album, peaking at number three.

I mean, what, what songs come to mind if you were to introduce someone, a very young person, I'd imagine that that perhaps is learning of Dolly Parton for the first time, based on this news, what music would you recommend to them as a statement about who she was and what she meant?

OERMANN: Well, it's like a multifaceted diamond. You can look to various parts of her, of her repertoire and find all kinds of messages. There's certainly messages of empowerment for women.

There are messages of empowerment for poor people. There are messages of strength and dignity and hope and positivity anywhere and also depressing stuff. The songwriting stretched into death and madness and insanity and all kinds of prostitution.

She would write about all these really, really -- in country music, anyway -- very, very, very broad topic of things. There's nothing that she wouldn't touch as a writer. And she was constantly creating. My mean, she was almost like automatic writing. You could almost see a little cloud go over her eye when she would like suddenly go into her God space and start coming up with a song.

There's something profoundly spiritual about her that goes -- she was in touch with something that most of us have within us that don't have a way to get to, and she tapped into it somehow in some miraculous way as a young woman, she learned how to tap into that well of creativity and touch us all.

KEILAR: Yes. A prolific songwriter over the course of her years.

OERMANN: It's her most lasting gift. I think that song catalog is going to touch people for generations to come. I mean, songs that you maybe have never heard of, like Appalachian Memories, or Just Because I'm a Woman, the things that deep -- what you call deep cuts in her catalog, you'll find them just as moving as Nine to Five, and I Will Always Love You, and the famous songs in her repertoire.

[14:35:00]

There are things in those 3,000 songs, there are deep, deep, deep messages on many, many levels.

KEILAR: Yes. And if you could just stand by for us, Robert, and stay in the conversation with us, we do want to go to some sound from Dolly Parton herself. If you're joining us, we are just learning that Dolly Parton, of course, the legendary musician, but also renowned for her philanthropy and her broad appeal, has died at the age of 80.

This is Dolly Parton, just a few years ago, talking to our Jake Tapper, as she was describing the advice that she would give her younger self.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: What would you tell your younger self?

DOLLY PARTON, MUSICIAN AND PHILANTHROPIST: Well, that's a tricky question. It was my dream to do it. But I would just probably, looking back, I would just say, girl, you better buckle up, because this is -- you're in for the ride of your life. You're going to have to take a lot of stuff, you're going to have to give a lot of stuff, and you're going to have to, you know, stand by your guns, believe in yourself, stay true to yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: On that point about standing by your guns, Elizabeth Wagmeister, as we were just hearing from Robert, a huge part of her legacy is going to be female empowerment.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I mean, you look at 9to5 and what Dolly did, of course, with that song, the anthem for women, but also with the film. And this was in the 80s, long before it was mainstream, to talk about female empowerment and Dolly is the one who did it.

You know, she spoke about equal pay and fair working conditions for women. And she's always been a feminist icon, but that film and that song really did something for society and just really showed what she could do with her platform. I believe we actually have a clip from 9to5, so let's take a quick look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARTON: I stumble out of bed, and I stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition and yawn and stretch and try to come to life. Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumping. Out on the streets, the traffic starts jumping, with folks like me on the job from 9 to 5.

Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living, barely getting by, it's all taken and no giving, they just use your mind, and they never give you credit, it's enough to drive you crazy if you let it.

9 to 5, for service and devotion, you would think that I would deserve a fair promotion, want to move ahead, but the boss won't seem to let me, I swear sometimes that man is out of touch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: Now, Dolly wasn't just a feminist icon and a role model for women of all ages, but she was also a huge ally to the LGBTQ community. And this is something that was really important to her. Dolly was an absolute gay icon, and not just because of the camp that she provided, but she spoke out about her support of the LGBTQ community.

And one time she actually said that it is quote, God's job to judge others, no one else's other than God. And she really stood -- she stood by different communities who now in 2026, of course, there are many, many artists who will speak up for women's rights and who will speak up for the LGBTQ community. But back in the day, this was not something that was typical.

And also it could have been considered risky when you had a career on the line and Dolly never cared. She did what was right. And she always spoke up for her gay fans.

She spoke up for women. And again, really doing it before so many others did really just an incredible impact. And of course, you were just speaking about the music and the albums that she sold and the awards that she won, but it's not just going to be her music that is her legacy.

I really believe that her legacy is going to be her impact on humanity and her impact on society.

KEILAR: Yes, she would speak up in a way that was very informed by her faith. She'd talk about it all the time. And that no doubt is going to be part of her legacy as well, Elizabeth.

We're joined now by Anthony DeCurtis, who's a contributing editor to Rolling Stone Magazine.

[14:40:00]

Gosh, I think, Anthony, that most people are probably thinking about all of the ways that their life in a way is connected or the music, the movies, the fact that maybe they think about when they pour their coffee in the morning, they might even think about how they pour themselves a cup of ambition. She's sort of very much linked to day- in-day-out of certainly a lot of people in America. How are you reflecting on this news that Dolly Parton has passed away?

ANTHONY DECURTIS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, ROLLING STONE: Well, Dolly Parton had that rare quality that, you know, so few superstars have and which she's really seemed to have as elaborate and flamboyant as she could be. She always seemed to have her feet on the ground and she kind of did seem like someone that you knew. You know, there was a kind of intimacy to her singing, to her interviews, to the degree of self-deprecation that she would bring to, you know, what she had to say that just made her so likable and someone that you could identify with, you know, so that it's sad.

It feels like a personal loss as well as a cultural loss. SANCHEZ: And we have just learned moments ago, Anthony, that at Parton's request, her family is going to hold a small private funeral with immediate family only. They are saying that fans and friends are encouraged to pay tribute on social media or also by making donations to her Imagination Library. If you could speak to us about -- and these are actually live images coming from Hollywood in Los Angeles, where you see flowers have been laid at the Walk of Fame at the star that bears her name.

Anthony, if you could speak to the impact that she had through her philanthropy and through what she represented for so many people that shared a very working class background.

DECURTIS: Well, there was an element of Dolly Parton that definitely appealed to people of a background similar to her own, you know, that is to say working class, you know, certainly not privileged, you know, you might say poor. But, you know, there was also an element of Dolly Parton that enabled her to reach people just very directly. And, you know, it's easy to talk about all of the kind of, you know, broad aspects of her appeal.

But, you know, she was a major, major, major talent, a great singer, a brilliant songwriter, you know, someone who was up for, you know, the movies, you know, a play based on her life. You know, she was someone who was willing to go in so many different directions to reach people. And there, even as she would joke about, you know, her look and, you know, the way that she would dress and the way she would wear her hair and, you know, the size of her bust and all of that.

There was an element of very, very kind of directness and self- deprecation that she was willing to sort of make fun, you know, if you wanted to make fun -- you know, if you wanted to make fun of Dolly Parton, you know, she would beat you to the Punch every time. And, you know, there were people who were stupid enough to think that because of what she presented herself, you know, that, you know, she wasn't smart. But, man, there are few artists that are as smart and eloquent and witty as Dolly Parton.

And that element, you know, is something that, you know, you would hear her and you would just start laughing because, you know, she would say the funniest things and just stand people on their heads if they thought they were going to one up her. That was not going to happen.

KEILAR: Yes, it was -- it's not every day that someone can be self- deprecating in a way that shows they actually hold themselves in quite high esteem, in a healthy esteem. And I think that was something that Dolly Parton modeled.

She modeled for a lot of people, including women. And, Anthony, I do want to note something here, which is that the President has just posted on social media that he is going to be lowering flags to half staff starting at 6 p.m. for a week. So here is part of what he said here.

He called this a true loss for millions of people. He said she is one of the greatest country singers and far beyond ever, noting that she had just passed away. I think it's also important to note, Anthony, especially in a time where it's hard for people to navigate politics and the environment we're in with grace, without missteps. Dolly Parton noted that she was offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice during the Trump administration.

She actually demurred on that. She did not cite Trump in doing so, but she had said in a 2021 interview with The Today Show that she couldn't accept it because her husband was ill. And then when she was asked the second time, she wouldn't travel because of COVID.

I mean, this is someone, Anthony, just so beloved with so much broad appeal that you have the President coming out and saying that flags are going to go to half staff.

DECURTIS: Absolutely. And you know, your description of her not accepting the Medal of Freedom during the Trump administration, you know, a lot of people can talk, and a lot of people can make statements. Dolly Parton acted, you know, she acted and she became an example for people, you know, and that is the great one.

I mean, one of the many great things about her. You know, there was kind of a sense that you knew that, you know, she wasn't standing on a soapbox every day, but she had principles and she stood by them. And that was evident in her work.

And it was really evident in her life. And it was extremely impressive and quite moving.

KEILAR: Yes, and we should note President Biden also offered the medal to her.

SANCHEZ: And notably in that interview, she speaking to that self- deprecative and yet holding herself in high esteem. She said that it would be nice to receive that honor, but quote, I'm not sure that I even deserve it. Talk about humility.

Notably, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. And she initially declined that nomination saying that that was for people in rock music. But after learning that that wasn't the case, she accepted and she was honored with induction in November of 2022.

Let's play a clip of her performing one of her biggest hits from that event. Here's Jolene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARTON, PINK AND ANNIE LENNOX: Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene Oh, I'm begging of you please don't take my man Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene Please don't take him even though you can

Your beauty is beyond compare With flaming locks of auburn hair With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green, Jolene

Your smile is like a breath of spring Your skin is soft like summer rain And I cannot compete with you, Jolene

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene Oh, I'm begging of you please don't take my man Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene Please don't take him even though you can Jolene, Jolene

He talks about you in his sleep There's nothing I can do to keep From crying when he calls your name, Jolene, Jolene

And I can easily understand How you could easily take my man But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: I mean, just talk about some of the folks that she's on stage with there. There was Pink. I think I saw Annie Lennox as well.

Just on her last album, she collaborated with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sting, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, and Lizzo. You're talking about an almost 70-year career at the heights of not only country music, but all music.

KEILAR: Yes, an amazing performer and such a prolific songwriter as well. I think a lot of people don't realize how many songs that she wrote.

SANCHEZ: 3,000.

KEILAR: So many.

We're joined now by Jason Lipshutz, who is the chief content officer at Billboard. Jason, it's tough, honestly. Reflecting on Dolly Parton's legacy is a beautiful thing.

The idea that she's gone is really hard to accept. I think that is going to be the feeling for so many people who are digesting this news today.

JASON LIPSHUTZ, CO-CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER, BILLBOARD: Yes, absolutely. Obviously, just an iconic figure in modern music, in the history of recorded music. Billboard, I believe two years ago, named Dolly the top country artist of all time.

When you consider how many giants of country music there have been over the past 50 years, it still was an obvious choice who number one should be. You know, we can talk about the cultural impact, as you have been over the past hour or so, but just from a musical impact, just an incredibly popular, prolific singer, songwriter, recording artist, touring artist, 25 number one songs on the Hot Country Songs chart, nine number one albums on Top Country albums. And you've been talking about Rockstar, the album that she put out in 2023. That was actually her highest peaking album of her career on the Billboard 200 chart at number three. It debuted in the fall of 2023. So still a ton of cultural resonance and mainstream appeal, even in the past few years.

SANCHEZ: And this is someone who picked up a guitar at age seven, Jason, and started writing her own songs, going back to that very young age. Talk to us about the influence that she's had on younger musicians, because obviously her cover songs, the songs that other artists have covered of Dolly Parton's have been huge.

LIPSHUTZ: Yes, it's been obviously just these decades of everything from Whitney Houston turning I Will Always Love You into this amazing all-timer single. But even just a couple years ago, Beyonce puts out Cowboy Carter and remakes Jolene but also has Dolly on there to kind of introduce her remake. Obviously, there are a ton of other covers, reinterpretations, interpolations of Dolly's music.

You know, her influence is just, it's unfathomable. And I think what we're going to see in the coming hours and days are just this outpouring of modern artists saying, hey, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. My mom, my dad grew up loving Dolly Parton.

It's just, this is the stature of an artist like this.

KEILAR: Yes, and Jason, I also think, and I don't know, you tell me what you think, but here in recent years, it feels like she has really gotten that appreciation for everything that she had achieved. I remember during COVID when I had time listening to the podcast about Dolly Parton's America, you know, and it just kind of put into perspective everything that she had done and what her life had been. It felt like people had gotten in touch with all of her contributions.

As I do want to note, we're looking at live pictures here where just in the last few minutes, more and more flowers are showing up there by her star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. But it does feel, Jason, that more people have appreciated in recent years all of her contributions.

LIPSHUTZ: Yes, you know, it's funny. You can think about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Lifetime Achievement Awards and, you know, the various CMA Awards and Humanitarian Award that she won at the CMAs a few years back. You also just have to think about there are just not that many superstars with a seeming 100 percent approval rating, you know, in these kind of fractured cultural times where you have to kind of pick a side on everybody.

Everybody just seemed to love Dolly Parton and her music and her personality and also her contributions to society as a whole. When you think about the Dollywood Foundation, you think about the Imagination Library, 300 million books or so donated helping kids to read, you know, the impact on the LGBTQ plus community that she always stood by for decades. Yes, I think aside from all the awards, all the hit singles, all the hit albums, you just think about how charming and beguiling she was as a celebrity where, you know, the world does seem a little bit less bright today now that she's gone. SANCHEZ: A little dimmer without the star of Dolly Parton, no doubt. Jason Lipshutz, thank you so much. As we head to break, we're going to continue following the breaking news that legendary singer and icon Dolly Parton has passed away at the age of 80.

We want to leave you this hour with her duet with Kenny Rogers that peaked at number one in 1983, a song originally written by the Bee Gees, Here's Islands in the Stream. A song originally written by the Bee Gees, Here's Islands in the Stream.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[14:55:00]

PARTON: I can't live without you if the love was gone Everything is nothing if you got no one And you just walk in the night Slowly losing sight of the real thing

KENNY ROGERS & DOLLY PARTON: But that won't happen to us and we got no doubt Too deep in love and we got no way out And the message is clear This could be the year for the real thing

No more will you cry Baby, I will hurt you never We start and end as one In love forever We can ride it together, ah-ah Making love with each other, ah-ah

Islands in the stream That is what we are No one in between How can we be wrong? Sail away with me To another world And we rely on each other, ah-ah

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END