Cards with thoughtful words honoring an entertainment legend were among the items left in tribute to Dolly Parton at her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
People began gathering Tuesday at the star, unveiled in 1984 at 6710 Hollywood Boulevard for the country music icon whose film and TV career flourished in the 1980s with hits like “9 to 5,” shortly after word her death at age 80.
Her representatives said she had recently been diagnosed with cancer.
Parton’s star was unveiled in a dual ceremony with actor Sylvester Stallone, who co-starred with Parton in the movie “Rhinestone.” The 1985 musical comedy revolved around a bet that Parton’s character can turn a New York cab driver played by Stallone into a country music star.
One of the notes left at the Walk of Fame star read, “Thank you for loving me and accepting me before I knew how to love myself.”
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Getty American country music singer and songwriter Dolly Parton and actor, director, screenwriter and producer Sylvester Stallone receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Photo by Bill Nation/Sygma via Getty Images)
Another borrowed the title of one of Parton’s award wining songs, “I will always love you Dolly.”
“Thank you, Dolly, Brazil misses you,” another card read, an example of Parton’s far-reaching influence.
“The glow of her being outshone every star,” was written on a piece of paper.
Flowers, candles, nail polish, Duncan Hines Dolly Parton cornbread mix, pink sunglasses and other items also were left at the star.
People visit Dolly Parton’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after the beloved icon dies at 80 on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
“I love Dolly,” said Walk of Fame visitor Jennifer Garza. “She means a lot to all of us girlies who really like music, and we write music and we play music and we look a different way. She was always about that.”
Parton earned nearly every major honor a musician could aspire to during her legendary career as singer-songwriter, but her influence spread well beyond country music and into the world of Hollywood films.
Parton, whose death at age 80 was announced Tuesday by her nephew and head of security Bryan Seaver, made her feature film debut with 1980s “9 to 5” and went on to amass a long list of acting credits. Parton, whose song by the same name became a workplace anthem, was already well established as a country music icon when she portrayed Doralee Rhodes in the story of three female employees who find creative and comedic ways to get even with their sexist boss played by Dabney Coleman.
Parton starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the hit film, establishing herself as a pop culture figure with a broader audience. Parton’s song won two Grammy awards, and she was nominated for her first Academy Award (Best Music, Original Song).
Parton also became familiar to TV audiences with roles in variety specials and a long list of TV holiday films. She produced projects through her Sandollar Productions company.
She earned 11 Grammy Awards, a Country Music Hall of Fame induction and a Kennedy Center Honor.
Parton, who played at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2011 and October 2016, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
“Our heart breaks for everyone who was touched by the music, personality, and compassion that Dolly Parton brought to this world,” the Hollywood Bowl said in a statement on social media. “A country-music maverick who welcomed everyone to the fold, a world-class singer who could bring the house down with her voice, a woman of so many talents they could be hard to keep track of—did you know she was an expert banjo player? Sending our love to all those who mourn her loss today.”
She was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2004 for her enrichment of the American cultural heritage.