By Muvija M and Stefica Bikesh
LONDON/SYDNEY, Aug 26 (Reuters) – In Britain, the King’s Guard band played Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” in front of Buckingham Palace. In the United States, the Empire State Building lit up in pink. In Japan, producer Seiji Kameda remembered a singer whose voice “shone like the sun”.
Fans across continents, from prime ministers to pop stars, sent out messages of grief and affection after the news came through that the country music legend, songwriter and actress had died on Tuesday aged 80.
Many paid tribute to an artist they said had a rare ability to appeal to audiences across a wide range of political persuasions, age groups, genders and cultures.
“Your songs taught us to fall in love and how to express,” Uganda’s exiled opposition leader Bobi Wine wrote on X. “We will always love you,” the rapper-turned-politician added.
‘A GIANT OF AN ARTIST,’ SAYS ELTON JOHN
British pop icon Elton John called her a “giant of an artist” who had the kindest heart.
“It is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly,” Paul McCartney wrote. Her songwriting, singing and philanthropy were unrivalled in the world of country music, he added.
Britain’s Royal Family took to social media to say it was “Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many.”
In a message on its X account, it remembered her charitable work, including her Imagination Library that had given free books to millions of children. It signed off with “We will always love you,” echoing Wine’s tribute to one of her best-loved songs.
She only played once in Japan, in 1979. But Kameda, a prominent music producer and bassist for the rock band Tokyo Jihen, said he had been captivated by Parton’s voice since his first year of junior high school.
“Her voice … will endure forever. Rest in peace,” he wrote on X.
‘SHE LIVED LOUDLY,’ SAYS AUSTRALIAN PM
Politicians praised her contributions to society as well as her music.
“I was a huge fan of what Dolly did around literacy around the world,” British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told reporters.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Parton made an enormous difference through promoting education and funding hospitals, and that there would be many broken hearts across his country.
“She lived loudly, and she lived a great life, and she’ll be much missed,” he told reporters.
In Australia’s eastern city of Brisbane, Dolly Parton tribute artist Brooke McMullen said she woke up to messages about the death of the country music star, and thought it was a hoax.
Parton was “one of those people that you just think is going to be around forever,” McMullen added. “Her loss is huge.”
Part of Parton’s appeal came from the stories she told in her songs, said McMullen, who takes her tribute show across the country.
“All of her stories are real life and you can connect,” she added.
“Everybody’s got at least one of the songs that they connect to, whether it be that was something that their grandmother introduced them to, whether it be they heard that at a wedding that they went to. Everybody has a Dolly Parton song.”
(Reporting by Stefica Bikesh in Sydney; Additional reporting by John Geddie in Tokyo, Ammu Kannampilly in Nairobi, Muvija M in London; Writing by Josh Smith and Ingrid Melander; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
