Grand Ole Opry Dedicates Saturday Night Show to Dolly Parton
The Grand Ole Opry dedicated its Saturday, Aug. 29 night show to Dolly Parton, three days after the country star's death at age 80 on Aug. 25. The Opry's marquee lit up on the afternoon of Aug. 25 with a message honouring Parton and remained lit through the weekend, according to Billboard.
Parton's family announced her death in a video, and no cause was disclosed, though her publicist commented on the news, Reuters reported. President Trump ordered flags at half-staff in mourning, according to the New York Post.
The tribute show's lineup included Carly Pearce, Channing Wilson, Belle Frantz, Kathy Mattea, Molly Tuttle, Dan Tyminski, T. Graham Brown and the Opry Square Dancers, Billboard reported. The show aired on WSM-AM, online at wsmonline.com and opry.com, and on SiriusXM channel 58.
Dan Rogers, senior vice president and executive producer of the Grand Ole Opry, released a statement honouring Parton after her death. Parton was inducted as an Opry member in 1969 and remained a member for more than five decades. The Opry marked her 50th anniversary as a member in 2019 with a week of shows dedicated to her legacy.
Carly Pearce's presence on the Saturday bill carried a particular connection. Pearce launched her career at Dollywood, Parton's theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Parton herself surprised Pearce with an invitation to become an Opry member in 2021. Pearce's induction ceremony was held on Aug. 3, 2021.
Parton released "I Will Always Love You" in 1974, a song that would later become a worldwide hit through Whitney Houston's 1992 recording. Her own catalogue of country standards, from "Jolene" to "9 to 5," shaped the genre across six decades and made her one of the Opry's most recognisable members.
The Opry has inducted Rhonda Vincent, Lady A, Pearce and Lauren Alaina as members in recent years, continuing a tradition that dates to its earliest radio broadcasts in the 1920s. Parton's death prompted tributes from across the music industry, with the Opry's dedication standing as the institution's formal farewell to one of its longest-serving members.
