Dolly Parton, Country Music Icon Who Dedicated 2022 Awards Show to Ukraine, Dies at 80

Country singer Dolly Parton, who dedicated the 2022 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards ceremony to the people of Ukraine following the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion, has died aged 80. She passed away peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee, her public relations team reported on social media. Parton, who rarely commented on major global or political events and said on stage that she would “rather pass a kidney stone than do that,” made an exception at the ACM Awards given the events taking place thousands of miles from home.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. While opening the ceremony in Las Vegas on March 7, 2022, Parton made a rare statement addressing a major global event. “I want us to send our love and hope to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Why don’t we just dedicate this entire show to them and pray for peace,” Parton said, addressing the audience. The country music matriarch delivered her words to loud applause from the venue. Later in the broadcast, Brad Tursi of the band “Old Dominion,” accepted the award for group of the year and publicly thanked Parton for the dedication. He noted that it felt strange to celebrate while “people are fighting for their lives.” A few days later, Parton was interviewed on the BBC’s “The One Show,” during which she shared how the tragedy in Ukraine was deeply weighing on her at the time she hosted the ACM Awards. When asked about her decision to pivot the tone of the ceremony to a serious note, she explained Other Topics of Interest US Military Transport Plane Lands in Moscow After Flight From Riga The unusual arrival comes amid ongoing US-Russia contacts over Russia’s war against Ukraine, but there was no immediate indication that the flight was connected to any diplomatic or military talks. “Well, I felt that it was not only important but urgent to do it because there’s so much grief and so much sorrow. I just can’t help feeling like that’s just home, and I feel for those people like they’re my own people, and I just feel like we have to say or do something, whatever we can.” She continued: “With us having fun and having the freedom to do that, I just felt that it was necessary to take a minute to acknowledge and pay respect to them and what they’re going through.” Parton, a dedicated humanitarian and philanthropist, operated a global charitable footprint through her Dollywood Foundation, which she launched in 1988 to support education and reduce high school dropout rates in her native East Tennessee. Over some four decades, her philanthropy expanded from hyper-local scholarships into a multi-million-dollar global network. The singer was also an ambassador for charity initiatives such as the Sunflower Guitar for Ukraine project, which raises funds for Ukrainian humanitarian relief. The Sunflower Guitar is a custom, hand-crafted acoustic guitar built by Linda Manzer, featuring sunflower motifs to raise funds and awareness for Ukraine. Parton is most famous for her string of heartfelt and rousing country ballads, including hit singles “I Will Always Love You (since covered by Whitney Houston), “Jolene,” and “9 to 5.” Born in a one-room cabin in Pittman Center, Tennessee on Jan. 19, 1946, Parton was raised in the rural area of Locust Ridge in the Great Smoky Mountains of Sevier County, Tennessee. Her fame spanned multiple decades after she transitioned from being a regional country singer in the late 1960s to becoming a global pop superstar by the early 1980s. Adrian is a professional social researcher, managing projects and producing reports for UK government departments and agencies. He lived and worked for several years in Ukraine and is now based in the UK.