On Tuesday, world renowned musician Dolly Parton passed away from cancer at the age of 80. For Saskatchewan musicians, it’s a big loss. “This is a legend, and we’re not talking just about music,” said Donny Parenteau. “We’re talking about movies and everything, [she’s] world renowned. All you have to do is go to any country and say, ‘Dolly,’ and they’re going to finish with Parton.” After hearing about her passing, Parenteau came across a photo of himself and Parton, which he hadn’t seen since 1992. It’s a picture of him and his band backstage, meeting her after her performance at Dollywood, taking place in Nashville. “When she walked into the room, I’ll never forget,” Parenteau said. “It’s breathtaking when she walked in the room, because she was like a little doll.” Parenteau spent 12 years in the United States in the country scene, playing with Neil McCoy. “She was overgenerous, oversweet and so kind and humble to meet all of us personally and then take the group photo together as we did, to take the time to do that when you don’t really have to,” he said. “She was the one advocate that would always say, ‘You take care of your fans, because the fans are the ones that got you to where you are and never forget them,’ and she never did. That’s the one thing in that moment that I did meet her, however brief it was, we’re very fortunate to do that.” Singer Chris Henderson grew up listening to Parton particularly with his mother, especially when doing chores around the house. “Sometimes you’re afraid to meet your heroes, that they’re not going to be what you hope they are. But every report that I ever had of anyone who ever met Dolly said she was even nicer in person than you than you’d expect, which isn’t a surprise. For somebody that did all the amazing things for charity and all the things that she’s done over the years, you expect nothing less.” Since she was a little girl, Parton was destined for stardom, but used that platform to promote philanthropy, and even make a mark on a place like Saskatchewan, where 17 local chapters of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library are situated. “I think the biggest legacy that she leaves is that she was somebody that did a lot of good with what she had,” said Henderson. “I read somewhere that she was worth, like 4 or 500 million, but she’d given away at least that much money to charity and to her foundation, putting books in children’s hands.” “That’s the kind of influence where I look at it and go, ‘Okay, if you have an opportunity to do good, there’s no reason why you can’t and why you shouldn’t.” “She ranks up there with, meeting all of the legends that I was very fortunate to meet along the way through the 1990s,” Parenteau said. “I’m talking about Merle Haggard, George Jones, Buck Owens, Charley Pride.” Parton also brought her sparkle to Saskatchewan in-person a handful of times - including stops in Regina, Saskatoon, Craven, and Moose Jaw at different points in her storied career. Venues like The REAL District and Temple Gardens Centre posted tributes to the legend on social media.
