Country music performers Carly Pearce and Lauren Alaina shared their personal experiences with Dolly Parton following the artist's death at age 80. Parton died Tuesday at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, after a brief battle with cancer, according to a statement from her team. Pearce, who spoke to "CBS Mornings" on Wednesday, recalled meeting Parton at age 16 while working as a performer at the Dollywood theme park.
The reflections follow a six-decade career in which Parton earned 10 Grammy Awards and established a significant business presence. Last Wednesday, shortly before her death, the Academy of Country Music honored Parton with the ACM Poet’s Award for her songwriting. During that event, Parton provided a video message stating that songwriting was the most important part of her creative identity.
Pearce performed "9 to 5" during the ACM Honors ceremony held at The Pinnacle on August 19, 2026. She described the timing of the tribute as "crazy" given the proximity to Parton's passing. Singer Lauren Alaina also shared business advice she received from Parton, noting that the veteran artist prioritized faith and family over her career trajectory.
Parton's business ventures included the 1980s purchase of a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which she developed into Dollywood. She also maintained ownership of her music publishing rights. This ownership resulted in significant revenue, including millions of dollars from Whitney Houston’s recording of "I Will Always Love You." At the time of her death, Parton's active projects included a musical, a new hotel in Nashville, and a travel gas station in Tennessee.
The scale of Parton's impact is measured by her 10 Grammy Awards and a career spanning 60 years. In Tennessee, her investments moved beyond entertainment into infrastructure, such as travel gas stations and hotels. Pearce noted that even at age 80, Parton continued to launch new commercial ventures, representing a business model based on high-level ownership and diversification rarely seen in the early decades of the Nashville music industry.
For fans and fellow artists, the immediate change is the loss of a figure who remained active in the public eye until her final week. Musicians like Pearce and Alaina will notice the absence of her mentorship and the video messages she frequently provided for industry events. The next steps for her brand include the continued operation of her Tennessee properties and the completion of her pending creative projects. No specific dates for funeral services or the opening of her new hotel were reported.