More country music stars are paying homage to the woman who earned the title of “Queen of Country” throughout her six decades of success. Blake Shelton is the latest one, sharing a sweet photo of himself with Dolly Parton while on the set of The Voice.
You would think a country star like Shelton would have met the “Jolene” singer multiple times, but that simply wasn’t the case. At least, not in a meaningful way. In the Instagram post, he shared that he had “only got to spend any real time with Dolly when Gwen and I got to work with her on The Voice.”
His tribute follows the likes of Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Kelly Clarkson, and Reba McEntire. Like all of them, he has some of the sweetest things to say, making it clear that the country music icon was everything that she always appeared to be. He shared, “It was like being with the funnest, most loving, most caring and closest member of your family.”
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It’s a loss that people around the world are facing, and he empathizes with fellow Dolly fans. Users took to the Instagram comments to share their thoughts and feelings, with one person saying, “Yes Blake she was an icon and will be missed for sure!❤️”
While many responded with just heart and broken-heart emojis, another user shared, “I can’t wrap my brain around this…so devastating.”
A third followed with: “This is a big loss she was. I’m very sad.💔 you guys were lucky that you got to meet her.♥️”
The “9-to-5” singer passed away on Aug. 25 at the age of 80, shocking the entire world, even with her ongoing health problems. While many had feared for her health last year after she postponed and then canceled her Las Vegas residency, she made it clear that she was still kicking. Parton had shared just recently that her health had declined since the passing of her husband, Colin Dean, but she made it clear that she still had “many things I want to achieve.”
So far, no official cause of death has been given, but her family stated that she passed away peacefully. Our hearts are heavy with this loss.
