King's Guard Plays '9 to 5' as Royal Household and Stars Honour Dolly Parton
The Band of the Coldstream Guards played Dolly Parton's hit "9 to 5" during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the morning after the country superstar's death was announced. Parton died peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 25, at the age of 80, according to a video statement from her nephew Bryan Seaver, posted on her official social media pages NewsNation. Her family said a small, private service for close relatives was planned CNN via Facebook.
The Coldstream Guards' rendition of "9 to 5" — the 1980 workplace anthem that became one of Parton's signature songs — drew emotional responses from crowds outside the palace and from viewers who watched footage online. Royal fans shared their reactions in comment sections, many writing that the tribute moved them to tears Hello! Magazine. The Changing of the Guard, the daily ceremony in which one regiment of foot guards hands over responsibility for guarding the sovereign's residences to another, has long incorporated musical selections chosen to mark public occasions.
Queen Camilla's charity, the Queen's Reading Room, praised Parton as an icon and celebrated her Imagination Library, the literacy programme Parton founded in 1995 to send free books to children from birth to age five. Over more than three decades, the Imagination Library donated more than 300 million books Hello! Magazine. The charity's tribute linked Parton's music career to the reading work that ran alongside it.
Parton, a 12-time Grammy winner, was also honoured at her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was covered in bright pink floral tributes following news of her death Hello! Magazine. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Carl Thomas Dean, who died on March 3, 2025, at the age of 82 dollyparton.com.
Rod Stewart said Parton's death left him "absolutely floored" and that he was still grieving the loss of Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh singer who had died the previous month. Stewart added that he and Parton had recorded a duet together titled "It's Cold Outside" Hello! Magazine.
Taylor Swift, Carole King, Reese Witherspoon, and Sabrina Carpenter were among the other celebrities who paid tribute to Parton following the announcement of her death Hello! Magazine.
Parton's official website confirmed her death in Nashville and noted that she was 80 dollyparton.com. She is survived by her extended family in Tennessee.
