Brandi Carlile Remembers Dolly Parton’s Acceptance, Kindness and a Prayer She Says Changed Her Forever
For Brandi Carlile, Dolly Parton’s legacy was never limited to the songs, the rhinestones or the extraordinary career that made her one of country music’s most recognizable figures. In an emotional remembrance following Parton’s death at 80 on August 25, Carlile focused on something far more personal: the way Dolly made people feel accepted.
Carlile recalled admiring Parton long before the two women ever met, particularly because of the country legend’s willingness to publicly embrace LGBTQ+ people at a time when doing so could carry consequences within parts of the country music world.
“Before I met her, I loved her because she took a risk and accepted me (and all of us) for being gay in a time where she didn’t need to say anything,” Carlile wrote on Instagram.
To Carlile, that acceptance was not an isolated gesture. She remembered Parton as someone who consistently chose compassion over division and refused to be drawn into conversations that she believed would hurt other people.
Carlile remembers the Dolly Parton behind the icon
Parton died Tuesday at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer, according to reports following the announcement of her death. As tributes poured in from across music, Carlile shared memories that revealed just how profoundly their encounters had affected her.
Carlile wrote that Parton never wavered in accepting people for who they were and who they were meant to be. For an openly gay artist who has built much of her career within roots and country music, that quality carried special significance.
It was one of the reasons Carlile said she loved Parton even before personally knowing her.
Over the years, admiration eventually became a genuine personal connection, with the two singers sharing several memorable moments together.
A remarkable moment at Newport Folk Festival
View this post on Instagram
One of their most memorable appearances came at the 2019 Newport Folk Festival, when Parton joined Carlile and members of the Highwomen during a surprise-filled set.
Among the performance’s emotional highlights was Carlile singing Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” alongside the woman who wrote it.
The collaboration became especially poignant following Parton’s death. What was once a celebration between two generations of artists now stands as a lasting reminder of their connection.
Carlile’s relationship with Parton also extended beyond performances. In her tribute, she remembered an intimate encounter that stayed with her long afterward.
At one point, Carlile said, Parton held her face in her hands and prayed over her.
Carlile described the experience as transformative, saying she had “never been the same since.” She compared the lasting feeling of that prayer to a rainbow-colored halo that she hoped would remain with her throughout her life.
A Glastonbury memory Carlile never forgot
Not every memory Carlile shared was solemn.
She also looked back fondly on Parton’s celebrated 2014 Glastonbury performance, where the country star commanded an enormous British audience.
Carlile remembered Parton calling for an “amen” near the end of the set and being delighted by the overwhelming response from the crowd. Years later, the memory could still make her laugh.
For Carlile, the moment captured something uniquely Dolly: an ability to cross cultural, musical and generational boundaries while making an enormous audience feel as though they were sharing something personal together.
Carlile says she felt something before Dolly’s death
The most haunting part of Carlile’s remembrance concerned the days immediately before Parton died.
Carlile said she had felt as though Parton was “leaving” throughout the week. She had been performing “Coat of Many Colors” with I’m With Her and asking audiences to pray, even though she could not fully explain why she felt compelled to do so.
After news of Parton’s death arrived, those moments took on an entirely different meaning.
Her thoughts returned to the prayer Parton had once offered for her — a private act of kindness that Carlile clearly carried with her long after it happened.
Dolly Parton’s acceptance became part of her legacy
Carlile’s tribute also highlighted a side of Parton’s legacy that extended beyond her songwriting and performances.
Throughout her career, Parton became known for emphasizing kindness and acceptance while often resisting attempts to pull her into divisive public debates. Carlile saw that approach not as avoidance, but as a deliberate commitment to treating people with dignity.
That quality has also emerged in other tributes following Parton’s death. Artists have remembered not simply the songwriter behind “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” but a woman whose generosity and willingness to embrace people made them feel they had a place in country music.
For Carlile, that sense of belonging was deeply personal.
Long before they stood together onstage, Dolly Parton had already given her something meaningful simply by making clear that acceptance did not need conditions attached to it.
And after they finally met, one quiet prayer made the connection even more profound.
As Carlile joined Shania Twain, Kacey Musgraves, Jack White and numerous other artists in remembering Parton, her tribute offered a particularly intimate picture of the woman behind the global icon: someone whose smallest gestures could remain with another person for years.