A Dolly Parton statue in Tennessee? Country music icon says thanks — but not right now
Dolly Parton said Thursday she does not feel the time is right for a statue in her honor to be placed outside the Tennessee Capitol.
Her request to the Tennessee legislature comes a month after state Rep. John Mark Windle introduced a bill to recognize the renowned philanthropist and country music icon with a statue in Nashville. The proposed statue would be located on the Capitol grounds facing the famous Ryman Auditorium.
Parton thanked lawmakers but asked them to remove the bill from consideration — at least for now.
“Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time,” she said in a statement. “I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I’m certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean.
“In the meantime, I’ll continue to try to do good work to make this state proud.”
Even before the bill was introduced in January, there was discussion that Parton should be honored with a statue.
A Change.org petition created in June to replace all Confederate statues in Tennessee has more than 25,000 signatures.
“History should not be forgotten, but we need not glamorize those who do not deserve our praise,” the petition says. “Instead, let us honor a true Tennessee hero, Dolly Parton.”
Parton became famous for her singing, but she has given back in a multitude of ways. In 2018, her Imagination Library program gave its 100 millionth free book to children, NPR reported.
In 2016, Parton organized a telethon in response to Tennessee wildfires, raising more than $9 million, according to Billboard.
She pledged $500,000 to a hospital and cancer patient center in Tennessee in 2007, and also raised the same amount during a benefit concert.
Her charitable efforts were spotlighted when Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was approved late last year. In April, Parton revealed she donated $1 million to the research of the vaccine.
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 11:58 AM with the headline "A Dolly Parton statue in Tennessee? Country music icon says thanks — but not right now."