Good-bye, Dolly

August 25, 2026

When I learned that Dolly Parton had died, I was listening to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on the radio. It was a recording of the concert led by Leonard Bernstein and performed on Christmas Day, 1989, in East Berlin. The final movement had just begun. This could not have been a coincidence.

Dolly was a musical genius and a magnificent human being.

I can’t wrap my head around this. She was one of those people who it’s hard to imagine would ever leave us.

Rest in peace, Dolly. We will always love you.