A line of somber fans formed inside the famous rotunda at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, waiting their turn to sign a simple book of remembrances for the late Dolly Parton, who passed away on Aug. 25. She was 80, and in declining health. Yet the news came as a shock.
As curator of the "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker" exhibit, country singer-songwriter Allison Moorer said the news was hard to grasp. She described the legendary Nashville artist as more than a superstar. Something closer to cultural glue for a troubled time.
“She was the one thing we could agree on,” Moorer said. “What are we going to do now?”
The Journey of a Seeker exhibit opened in the spring of 2025 with “lines around the building” to see Parton’s life
in a new way. Previous exhibits followed her story from deep in the Smoky Mountains where she was one of 12 children in a cabin with no electricity or running water, to become one of country music’s most enduring artists. But Journey of a Seeker was different.
It focuses on the turning points that found Parton overcoming obstacles in her life and career. Whether it was the record label executives that wanted her to be a pop singer, or the business partner who saw her only as a sidekick, Moorer said she was never afraid to take life head on.
“I'm going to read this because this is what she said,” Moorer explained. “She said her desire to do things was greater than her fear of doing anything.”
Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young shared an official announcement about the star's passing, saying "Dolly Parton’s legacy is not celebrity, but humanity."
Young went on to call Parton a "champion of equality and literacy," noting her childhood literacy program the Imagination Library, which sends free books to children all over the world.
"She was a picture of dignity, even when dressed outrageously. Anyone who seeks to be more like Dolly is on the right track, but they’ll never get to the finish line," Young stated. "She came from poverty to become the most important native of Tennessee. She shared her fortunes for the good of all of us, and shared her soul in every note she sang."
Parton will be remembered as a singer, songwriter, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur, community builder and devoted family member. Yet for artist academics like Moorer, the Country Music Hall of Fame member will be most fondly recalled for her ability to bring people together.
“To be a powerful songwriter like she was, your ultimate power is empathy,” Moorer explained. “She made people feel seen. And she did that through her songs and also through the way she treated people."
Fans outside the Hall of Fame agreed. Donna Dobson had just gotten off a tour bus when she summed up her feelings.
“I think of all the people in the world, she held a lot of people together,” Dobson said. “I think it's really sad that we're not going to have somebody keeping us together.”
That doesn’t have to be true, Moorer said. Asked how she thinks Parton would like her fans and admirers to feel in the wake of her passing, she did not skip a beat.
“Dolly would want us to be positive and celebrate,” she said.
"Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker" will be open at the Country Music Hall of Fame until Oct. 4.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Hall of Fame remembers Dolly Parton: 'The one thing we could agree on'
