Flags lowered across US for country music legend Dolly Parton

Flags across the United States flew at half-staff Wednesday as grieving fans paid tribute to the late country music star and beloved cultural icon Dolly Parton.

A family source said a private funeral service for Parton is slated for this weekend in Nashville.

All five living US presidents praised the entertainment giant who eschewed politics while embracing philanthropy and a humble, working-class persona.
Across the Atlantic, the British royal family saluted an entertainer "who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many."

The post included a video of a ceremonial band in trademark red coats and bearskin hats playing Parton's working woman anthem "9-to-5" outside Buckingham Palace.
Parton rose from grinding poverty to become a rhinestone-studded icon with hits like "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You." She also starred in Hollywood films and donated millions to charities.

People visit the Washington Monument as US flags are lowered to half-staff in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. AFP

She was an accomplished businesswoman with interests spanning from her popular Dollywood theme park to cosmetics, pet apparel, baking mixes and even a truck stop.

Announcing her death at the age of 80 on Tuesday, her nephew Bryan Seaver said the multiple award-winning artist -- known for her glittering style, curvy figure and larger-than-life blonde wigs -- had "opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life."

Among them was singer-songwriter and actress Miley Cyrus, Parton's goddaughter, who voiced heartbreak in an Instagram post for herself and "the world."
Pop superstar Taylor Swift, who also got her start in country music, called Parton "eternally generous," while Beyonce called her a "North Star."

'Salt of the earth'

Parton died after a brief battle with cancer, her third cousin Brent Allen confirmed.
"I feel like she's one of the last of the salt of the earth. She brought people together," Allen told AFP in Sevierville, the singer's hometown in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

A fan of Dolly Parton visits a mural featuring her likeness in the city's North Side in Chicago, Illinois, on Wednesday. AFP

President Donald Trump called Parton's death a "true loss for millions of people."

Trump ordered flags lowered across the country, while New York's Empire State Building was lit in pink Tuesday at 9:25 pm -- a nod to Parton's hit song and movie "9 to 5."
Dollywood, the theme park Parton co-owned that celebrates small-town Appalachia, held a moment of silence at noon Wednesday.

'Patron saint of Tennessee'

As news of Parton's death spread, hundreds gathered in Sevierville to pay tribute.
Mourners laid flowers at a statue in the town which depicts Parton strumming a guitar.
"We've always called her our patron saint of Tennessee," fan Callie Konane Rickards told AFP.

Fellow country music star Carrie Underwood said on social media that Parton "was probably the one person on planet Earth that everyone loved and could agree on."

Fans pay tribute to Dolly Parton at Velvet Apple Music in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday. AFP

The Grand Ole Opry, America's temple of country music said: "May her legacy live on through her songs, the lives she touched, and the countless artists she inspired. There will never, ever be another one like her."

Born in 1946 as one of 12 children in rural Tennessee, Parton headed for the country music capital Nashville right after graduating from high school.

By 1967, at age 21, she was among the most recognized figures in American music, having joined Porter Wagoner's syndicated country music television show that broadcast her voice and face into millions of US homes.

During a prolific career that spanned six decades, Parton penned some 3,000 tunes.
They included "Coat of Many Colors," while the ballad "I Will Always Love You" became an international smash hit for Whitney Houston.

Country Music Hall of Fame honours Dolly Parton at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday. AFP

The "queen of country music" released 49 studio albums and more than 100 compilation and collaboration albums.

Last year, Parton postponed a series of Las Vegas concerts, citing health concerns. In May, she canceled them altogether.

Just last week, she said in a statement to People magazine: "I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I'm gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life."

"She brought so many people together, we will all miss her so much," said Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

Agence France-Presse