Rant #4,005: A Coat of Many Colors

First we lost Shelley Fabares.

Now, Dolly Parton has followed her to the Pearly Gates.

Parton was 80, and she really lived life in those 80 years.

I am not comparing the two ...

Fabares was a teen idol, something of a singer, and she was an excellent actress.

Parton was in another class altogether.

When it was announced that she had passed, it felt like a piece of America--really Americana--left us here on earth with her death.

From nearly dirt poor to as rich as can be, she earned her status as probably one of the most popular entertainers in the world.

Her fake glam--yes, in that area, she finally confessed--enamored her to so many, made her literally stand out, and then the talent took over, and nobody noticed the other stuff anymore, or at least it really wasn't that important once she got you.

I have to tell you, I was not a fan of hers.

I don't like country music, and all the glam and glitz that she proudly showed off was really not my cup of tea.

I didn't really like her music, I didn't like her movies, and her phony look kind of trickled out to me, and kind of turned me off.

But I simply cannot look the other way at her talent.

Starting off as a "project" with Porter Waggoner, she soon eclipsed her mentor by a long shot, and the rest really is history.

She prided herself most as a songwriter, and she wrote many, many tunes, including "I Will Always Love You," which she had a hit on her own, but which skyrocketed into the nation's consciousness via its version by Whitney Houston.

She was so popular that her very existence was made fun of--and admired--and yes, there is a country novelty song called "Dolly Parton's xxxx" that is out there (I think I might even have it somewhere in my collection).

She owned "Dollywood," she gave to many philanthropic organizations, and she even started her own such endeavor, related to reading and literacy, in honor of her father, who never learned to read or write.

Parton came from a big family, and most of her siblings also went into the music industry, with various degrees of success.

Parton was married to Carl Dean for 60 or so years, and he completely kept in the background as his wife became one of the world's most famous people. 

He died a few years back, and from what I have read, Parton never really got over it.

Although she and Dean had no children of their own, she was the godmother to one of the current queens of excess, Miley Cyrus, but she said she never wanted to exert any influence on Cyrus or anyone else.

But she directly or indirectly influenced millions of people, and that will be her legacy now that she has left this earth.

Parton had been battling some health problems in later years, but seemed to have overcome them. As I write this, there was no cause of death reported, but I am sure something will come out in the days to come.

President Trump has ordered that flags be lowered throughout the country for the next week in her memory.

Very fitting.

This was a big loss, and even if you weren't a fan of hers like me, you feel her loss just the same.

"I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain. These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious pieces of good in the world." - Dolly Parton