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Dolly Parton Declines Proposed Statue Of Her

By Michael Bamidele

19 February 2021   |   2:56 pm

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American icon Dolly Parton has politely declined proposed legislation that would immortalize her with a statue on the Capitol grounds of her home state Tennessee. Last month, Congressman John Mark Windle proposed a bill that called for the 75-year-old country singer to be honoured on the grounds of the Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee. Parton, however,…

Dolly Parton performs onstage at the 2019 MusiCares Person Of The Year gala at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on February 8, 2019. | Image: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

American icon Dolly Parton has politely declined proposed legislation that would immortalize her with a statue on the Capitol grounds of her home state Tennessee.

Last month, Congressman John Mark Windle proposed a bill that called for the 75-year-old country singer to be honoured on the grounds of the Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee.

Parton, however, in a statement released on social media wrote, “I am honoured and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration.”

“Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time. I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I’m certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean.”

Long a staunch advocate for keeping politics out of her public persona, Parton’s announcement comes after the veteran country superstar said she twice turned down a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump.

The writer of classics including “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5” said she also heard from Biden about one of the nation’s top honours: “I don’t work for those awards,” she said.

More than 25,000 people signed an online petition to replace controversial statues of Confederate officers with Parton, calling her a “true Tennessee hero.”

The petition urged lawmakers to “replace the statues of men who sought to tear this country apart with a monument to the woman who has worked her entire life to bring us closer together.”

Revered by people from a variety of backgrounds for decades, Parton, a longtime philanthropist, has been popping up in the news of late, especially after donating $1 million to Vanderbilt University. The funds went towards developing Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine.