Shania Twain is mourning the loss of her “hero” and “mentor” after country music icon Dolly Parton died on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
The 60-year-old “You’re Still The One” singer shared a clip from a 2003 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show where the two performed Parton’s 1971 song “Coat of Many Colors”.
“Dolly was pure light sent from heaven,” Twain wrote in her Instagram caption. “My mentor is gone. My songwriting teacher and hero of grace and humility”.
A Lifelong Dream Realized
In the 2003 clip, Twain introduced the late icon with palpable emotion, calling the performance a “lifelong dream.”
“What more can I say than that this is my hero, musical and personal hero of all time. Beautiful person inside and out, and the person that I always wanted to grow up to be,” Twain said.
Parton then joined Twain on stage in a coordinating vibrant orange ensemble to sing “Coat of Many Colors,” a song about the joys and hardships of Parton’s childhood in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee
The Bond Between Icons
Twain later performed the same song in tribute to Parton at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in 2006 when Parton received the prestigious award.
“There is a hole in my heart but the joy of just the thought of her smile will continue to fill me with inspiration for as long as I live,” Twain wrote. “I will cherish this moment performing Coat Of Many Colors with Dolly forever. Goodbye Dolly. Rest in peace, beautiful angel”.
Parton’s Legacy
Parton’s team announced her death in a statement, noting she died at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones. Her legacy includes the hundreds of millions of books donated through her Imagination Library and funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world.
The Bottom Line
Shania Twain has paid tribute to Dolly Parton following her death at 80, calling the late icon her “mentor,” “songwriting teacher,” and “hero.” Twain shared a clip of their 2003 duet of Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” on The Oprah Winfrey Show, describing Parton as “pure light sent from heaven.” Parton died after a brief battle with cancer.
