Dolly Parton died Tuesday at 80 in Nashville after a short battle with cancer. Already, according to a new report, Taylor Swift is “lining up” along with other music stars to perform at what could be the biggest memorial concert in music history.
Parton passed away at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, according to The Washington Post, after what her publicist described as a brief battle with cancer. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the news in a video posted to her social media accounts on behalf of the family. Flags were ordered to half-staff in her honor, as noted by The Associated Press.
The reaction reflects what Parton meant to American music. Born in a one-room cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, one of 12 children, she became one of the best-selling female country artists in history, according to CNN, with songs like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You” crossing into pop culture permanently. She acted in films — notably the now-classic 1980 comedy 9 to 5, for which she wrote the theme song — built the Dollywood theme park empire, and gave away hundreds of millions of books to children through her Imagination Library, making her as well known for generosity as for music.
Taylor Swift’s Role in a Dolly Parton Tribute
Word of Swift’s possible involvement in a Dolly Parton memorial tribute show surfaced first in a Rob Shuter exclusive published Tuesday. The entertainment industry insider reported that Swift, Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé are among the superstars already “lining up” for a public tribute honoring Parton’s historic career, with plans still in the earliest stages.
“Taylor, Miley, Beyoncé — Dolly crossed every genre and every generation. This could become one of the biggest musical tributes of all time,” a music industry insider told Shuter.
Swift has praised Parton before, once calling her “a force of evolution and transformation” in a 2023 interview, published by The Independent. The admiration runs both ways. Parton thanked Swift and husband Travis Kelce in an early July video message for a $2 million donation to the Imagination Library tied to their wedding, according to People, closing the message by singing a line from “I Will Always Love You.”
Shuter’s reporting notes that Parton’s family wants a small, private Nashville ceremony before any tribute concert, with any larger public event still unscheduled and details, including a performer list, not even officially in the works yet.
Travis Kelce and Chiefs Season Complicate Any Appearance
If Swift performed at a Dolly Parton tribute, would her husband Travis Kelce be there? The NFL season kicks off September 9, according to Fox Sports, and the Kansas City Chiefs open at home against the Denver Broncos five days later, on Monday Night Football.
Kelce is entering the year under contract with Kansas City and has been present throughout training camp, with coach Andy Reid praising his work ethic, according to KMBC. A packed football schedule leaves little room for Nashville detours once the regular season gets underway in earnest.
Any tribute large enough to book Swift, Cyrus and Beyoncé together will take weeks, if not months, to organize regardless of the family’s timeline. If the eventual date lands on a bye week or an off day, Kelce could realistically join his wife in Nashville. If it collides with a Sunday, the Chiefs tight end likely stays in Kansas City, assuming he remains uninjured.
Taylor Swift ‘Lining Up’ For Dolly Parton Tribute: Will Travis Kelce Join Her?