Dolly Parton's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is being replaced after it was allegedly vandalized.
The star was already scheduled to be replaced because of existing cracks when it was vandalized, Ana Martinez, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president of media and talent relations, told Los Angeles news station ABC 7 on Sept. 1. The damage occurred after tributes left by fans were cleared from the star ahead of the planned work.
Martinez told TMZ that a fan reported on Aug. 31 that someone had scratched the star and stole flowers. Following Parton's death at 80 on Aug. 25, many fans paid tribute to the country music legend by leaving flowers and other memorabilia at the star, which was dedicated to Parton in 1984.
USA TODAY
has reached out to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for comment.
Video posted by KNX News 1070 AM showed the red star was removed altogether, leaving a hollow square in the black speckled sidewalk.
A few hours later, the Hollywood Historic Trust – which maintains the stars on the Walk of Fame – shared a photo of the restoration progress. A blank red star was placed in an otherwise empty square.
"The Hollywood Historic Trust and Hollywood Chamber of Commerce are proud to honor the legacy of Dolly Parton with a replacement of her star," the post's caption read. "The new star will be available for viewing this Friday."
Blogger Lore Corona shared a video of her and her daughter cleaning the defaced star by using their shoes to drag a towel and wipes around the sidewalk.
"When we arrived a custodian was cleaning and told us a woman kicked candles around then with the shards of one scratched the star," she wrote in an Aug. 31 Threads post. "Then a man came and stole the flowers that were there. He left soon after we got there and we got to work."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton's Walk of Fame star vandalized, set to be replaced
