Eminem Shares Dolly Parton's Handwritten Letter After Her Death at 80
Eminem has paid tribute to Dolly Parton following her death at the age of 80, sharing a letter Parton wrote to him after both artists were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Parton died on Tuesday, according to Rolling Stone. Among the flood of tributes that followed, Eminem's stood out for what it contained: a personal note from Parton herself, which he posted on social media alongside his own message. "I'm sorry we never got a chance to meet, but getting this note from Dolly really had a an impact on me," he wrote. "Rest easy Dolly. And thank you for the kind words." (Rolling Stone)
In the letter, Parton congratulated Eminem on his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, praised his performance at the ceremony, and encouraged him to keep creating work that inspires others. She also told him she had "always felt some unexplained connection" to him and hoped they would meet someday. They never did.
The two were part of the same Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class in 2022, a group that also included Duran Duran, Carly Simon, and Pat Benatar. (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame via Instagram) Parton had initially questioned whether she belonged in a rock and roll institution — she is, after all, country to the bone — but accepted the honour and released a rock album to mark it.
Eminem was among several Detroit musicians who honoured Parton on social media after the news of her death broke. (Detroit News) The Detroit News also reported tributes from other Motor City artists, underscoring the reach Parton's influence had well beyond the genre she built her name in.
What gives the Eminem tribute its weight is the gap between the two artists — a Detroit rapper and a Tennessee country icon, separated by genre, generation, and geography, yet connected by a note that one wrote to the other unprompted. Parton's letter, warm and encouraging, reads like the work of someone who understood that fame of any kind is a strange thing to carry. Eminem's caption, brief and plainly moved, suggests the feeling was mutual.
