At this point, I’m convinced Dolly Parton must have set aside an entire week to sit in a studio and record every video message imaginable in preparation for her passing.
Despite her heartbreaking death this past August at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer, the country music legend has made one thing abundantly clear: her legacy lives on, and apparently, so does her ability to make an appearance at just about every major event.
Over the past two months, Parton posthumously accepted her Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americana Music Honors, announced the opening of her latest project, Dolly’s Songteller Hotel, and delivered a heartfelt message to music educators at the 10th annual Excellence Gala in Nashville earlier this month… all from beyond the grave.
Adding yet another appearance to her seemingly endless collection of prerecorded messages, Parton popped up at a rather unexpected event yesterday, helping celebrate the 50th anniversary of the partnership between the Southeastern United States and Japan.
I know, quite the curveball event. But in case you needed more proof that Parton had a massive worldwide influence, apparently someone reached out to the “Coat of Many Colors” singer prior to her passing and enlisted her to help ring in the special SEUS annual conference.
Just a week and a half before her death, sporting a fitting Japanese floral-printed zip-up and bright purple eye shadow, Parton recorded a welcome message for the hundreds of Japanese political and business leaders who attended the Annual Joint Meeting in Nashville over the past few days from Sunday, October 25 to Tuesday, October 27.
Celebrating the longstanding economic and cultural ties between Japan and the Southeast states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee), Parton kickstarted her message with a trip down memory lane: “I first toured Japan 50 years ago, and it was the thrill of a lifetime to see the magnificent country, all the beautiful flowers and gardens, to meet all those sweet people, and now all these years later, it is a true honor to welcome friends and leaders from Japan and the Southeast to the Volunteer State.”
Dolly also posthumously offered some stellar travel advice, stating, “While you’re here, I hope you’ll enjoy a little southern hospitality, some great music, some wonderful food and the things that make Nashville and Tennessee such a special place.” Apparently, the video, which featured coinciding Japanese subtitles, brought a few tears to the room, with WSMV4 sharing, “Many inside the downtown JW Marriott became emotional and asked SEUS leaders to play it a second time.”
At this point, I’m excited to see where Dolly will pop up next because Lord knows she’s probably got a few more video messages waiting to be released from the vault. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she makes yet another appearance at this year’s 60th Annual CMA Awards, taking place November 18 at Bridgestone Arena.
Watch Dolly’s Full Message: