Erin Joyce stepped out of her red hatchback Aug. 25 with a bundle of yellow roses, wearing a Dolly Parton T-shirt and Dolly Parton earrings.
Joyce held back tears as she spoke about Parton's legacy and impact on her life.
"She did so much good for this world," she said, as the lyrics of "Jolene" played from the wine bar across the street. "You could feel her presence around here. It felt so special and like I was a part of her community in a way."
Joyce grew up in Nashville, just down the street from Parton's longtime 12 South property, a striking faux hacienda-style compound that contains her former production studio and business office.
A small, impromptu vigil had formed at the gates of the compound, with a growing pile of flowers placed on the concrete.
As Joyce stood on the sidewalk, more fans drove by, dropping off flowers and taking pictures of the expanding pile. It seemed to be an obvious place for mourners and admirers to gather.
At the Country Music Hall of Fame gift shop, tourists Emily McCrory, Charlotte Anderson and Ellen Rankin, visiting Nashville from Northern Ireland, were sampling Parton's perfume when another visitor broke the news of the country star's death.
Moments earlier, they had been laughing and spraying the fragrance. Then the mood inside the shop abruptly changed.
"The staff was all crying. It was so sad," Anderson said.
"We're huge Dolly Parton fans," McCrory said. "We can't believe this happened while we're here in Nashville."
Lauren Hinchey, visiting Nashville from Florida, had just walked past an exhibit honoring Dolly Parton inside the Country Music Hall of Fame when the news flashed across her phone that Parton had died.
Soon after, Hinchey joined a line of visitors waiting to sign a memorial book set up near Parton’s bronze commemorative plaque. Fighting back tears, she described what she had written.“I wrote that she was a true icon and her voice will never be silenced,” Hinchey said. “It’s just unbelievable.”
Famous Lower Broadway honky-tonk Robert's Western World posted a pic of namesake Robert Moore with Dolly with the caption: "We don't have the words right now. We may never have them."
Former NFL and Tennessee Volunteers star Peyton Manning posted on Instagram: "There was only one Dolly and I feel lucky to have known her. We’ll miss you, Dolly. Tennessee won’t be the same without her!"
Jessica Turner, a Nashville influencer and book author, posted on Facebook that "meeting Dolly Parton with two of my kids was a pinch me moment. We gave her Matthew’s first children’s book and she said, 'you tell your Daddy I’m proud of him!' That was her in a nutshell — full of light and encouragement.
My earliest memories are singing along to her songs in my Mom’s big brown Oldsmobile in the 80s. Never did I imagine that I would someday meet her. I actually had the opportunity to see and interact with her a few times through my work online, with @dollywood and at @vumcchildren."
Dolly's loss was also felt at Belmont University. A plaque on campus at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts celebrates its sale of 77,911 tickets to 49 performances of "Dolly: An Original Musical" in 2025. Dolly Parton wrote and produced the musical, which first opened in Nashville before going on Broadway in New York. Parton attended most of the Belmont performances.
University President L. Gregory Jones released a statement saying: "Dolly Parton leaves behind a legacy that will shape generations for years to come. Through her talent, generosity and unwavering belief in others, she inspired people around the world to dream bigger and live with joy. Dolly's partnership with Belmont is a gift to our university. We were honored to host the world premiere of her original musical at the Fisher Center and to witness the impact of the Dolly U program on our students. As we give thanks for her extraordinary life, we celebrate the light she brought and rejoice in the hope that sustained her, trusting that she now sees the fullness of that clear blue morning."
Tennessee Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk posted a Dolly tribute on X, saying: "On behalf of the Tennessee Titans, we join our community across the state in mourning a true national and Tennessee treasure. Dolly's extraordinary talent reached every corner of the world, and yet she never lost touch with the roots that shaped her. Her boundless generosity touched millions of lives, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps. We extend our deepest condolences to her family; she will be dearly missed."
The mood at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum remained somber as party buses rolled up and unloaded tourists from Boston and Ireland.
regular crowd of tourists, some from Boston, some from Ireland. Party buses roll up and unload. But the smiles are more muted than normal. Conversations were quiet.
There's a small table in the Hall of Fame Rotunda. White tablecloth, with a small plaque saying "In honor of Dolly Parton."
Fans line up to sign a remembrance book, then walk down the stairs and back out into Nashville.
Outside, people snap selfies with Parton's image on the front of the building.
Nashville LASIK eye surgeon Dr. Ming Wang, whom Dolly publicly credited for her LASIK surgery, posted on Facebook: "Dolly was not only a giant, she was also a wonderful and so kind hearted human being."
The two shared a friendship and once performed together as Wang played his Chinese violin called an erhu. Dolly also supported his nonprofit sight foundation's Eyeball charity event, benefiting blind orphan children.
"Dolly lives in all of our hearts."
Staff writers Kelly Puente, Molly Davis, Brad Schmitt and Nick Suss contributed to this report.
Beth Warren covers health care and can be reached at bwarren@tennessean.com or on X at @BethWarrenCJ.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tourists, Nashvillians remember Dolly: 'You could feel her presence'
