During opening night of his 30-show run at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Harry Styles took a moment to honor country icon Dolly Parton following her death on Tuesday.
“I just wanna give a proper thank you to all the musicians who have
inspired me over the years. Dolly, we love you. Thank you so much,” Styles said to the sold-out crowd and raised his clasped hands to the sky. As he played her recording of “I Will Always Love You,” the arena filled with the light from thousands of cell phones as attendees swayed to the music and sang along to the classic hit.
The song, famously written by Parton as an emotional farewell to her mentor Porter Wagoner and his show, topped the country chart in 1974. In 1992, Whitney Houston recorded “I Will Always Love You” for the soundtrack of her film, The Bodyguard, and it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record 14 weeks. It remains one of Parton’s signature songs and became the closing number of many of her live shows.
Styles’ tribute to Parton is one of the innumerable remembrances across the globe following her death after a brief battle with cancer at 80. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, Jack White, every living president, Jane Fonda, and countless more have all mourned the beloved star.
Parton’s goddaughter Miley Cyrus also honored her on Wednesday, writing in a tribute: “My heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply. We’re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things.”
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