R.I.P. DOLLY PARTON

Country music fans and other music lovers in Cayman are joining the rest of the world in mourning the passing of country music icon Dolly Parton.

The American songstress has been a constant presence in Cayman music playlists on radio and television, in homes, cars, bars, and parties long before online streaming and since the new technology made accessing music easier.

Whether it’s the pure country gem of the witty Jolene, the pop-flavoured Islands in the Stream duet with Kenny Rogers, or the working person’s staple lament of 9 to 5 - and many more hits, the songs of Dolly Parton have provided a soundtrack to Cayman lives for decades. And topping that list - or at least close to the top of it - is Whitney Houston’s evergreen rendering of the Dolly Parton classic “I Will Always Love You” giving it an even bigger audience than the original.

Loved immensely for her music and acting, popularity, personality, and the many philanthropic ventures she was involved in, Dolly Parton, born into poverty but who rose to global fame, will be remembered in Cayman and the rest of the world as a true icon.

According to official statements from her representatives and family, she passed away at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Centre in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday August 25th. Dolly Parton was 80 years old.

It has been confirmed that she had been privately battling cancer.