If you find in the coming days what feels like an outsized reaction to Dolly Parton’s death – no you didn’t.
The loss is just that great. Especially here, where I’m writing from in the Blue Ridge Mountains, just about two hours from her birthplace in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Dolly was one of one. She was larger than life. A generational musical talent, a transcendent political figure who seemed to be everything to everyone in the most polarizing moments and corners of our nation, a queer icon, an unparalleled champion for the love of books, an unexpected public health hero, an atypical feminist in practice in a way that expanded the meaning of the word to include all the big hair and plastic surgery and tacky eyeshadow a country
girl could dream of.
And perhaps most important, around here, she was a gal from the Appalachian Mountains. And that was a coat she wore from a place of pride, rather than the self-loathing and shame so many other famous children of these mountains seem to have felt.
What did Dolly Parton mean to you? Tell us below.
But because Dolly meant so much to so many, I’m sure you see an entirely different woman when you conjure her in your mind. So tell us, please – what did Dolly mean to you? What memories do you have of her, her work or the legacy she left behind?
Please fill out the form below to be included in a collection of reader submissions, or email us at forum@usatoday.com with the subject line "Forum Remembering Dolly," and include your name and state of residence. Or leave us a voicemail at (202) 655-3923.
Casey Blake is the deputy editor for USA TODAY Opinion. You can find her listening to "Gonna Hurry (as Slow as I Can)," Dolly's most underrated track.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton's loss feels so big. What did she mean to you? | Opinion
