Patron saint of country music Dolly Parton declined a proposed statue erected in her honor on the grounds of the Tennessee capitol in Nashville, saying, “given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think it’s putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time.”
She thanked the Tennessee legislature, but asked them to removed the bill from “any and all consideration.”
However, the honor is not permanently off the table, with Parton noting that she wouldn’t mind a statue “down the road … if you feel I still deserve it.” She added, “In the meantime, I’ll continue to try to do good work to make this great state proud.”
She made the state – and fans worldwide — proud when it was revealed that Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University through her Dolly Parton Covid-19 Research Fund to help fund the then-in-progress Moderna vaccine.
Around Christmas 2020, Parton again proved her mettle by saving 9-year-old actress Talia Hill from an oncoming vehicle during the filming of Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square.
She also made TV host Stephen Colbert cry when she sang an impromptu acapella rendition of “Bury Me Beneath the Willow,” a folk song that her mother sang to her as a child.
