Vince Gill Reveals What Made Dolly Parton So Universally Loved: “She Owned Every Room She Ever Walked In” (Exclusive)

Since Dolly Parton sadly passed away in August, musicians, singers, and actors have expressed their love for the Queen of Country Music. Having spent decades in the music industry, Dolly not only left her mark on the genre but on the world. With her stardom and net worth, the hitmaker sought to make the world a better place. And that’s exactly what she did with her Imagination Library. Helping educate and inspire future generations, recently, Vince Gill shared his thoughts on the life, career, and light of Dolly. 

Appearing on the Off the Record podcast, Gill recalled what it was like to know Dolly. Unlike millions of fans around the world, Gill personally knew the singer. Although the two had met in the past, they once shared the stage together, and according to Gill, Dolly made sure he understood he wasn’t Porter Wagner. 

“One night we sang ‘My Kind of Woman, My Kind of Man’; it’s a duet that I had out with Patty Loveless back in the ‘90s. And we sang it together on some award show, me and Dolly, because Patty wasn’t there and what have you. We finished it, and the crowd’s applauding. She looks at me, and she goes, ‘I know, I know. I ain’t no Patty Loveless.’ She goes, ‘But you ain’t no Porter Wagner neither.’”   

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Vince Gill Learned A Great Way To Live From Dolly Parton

Able to find the humor in any situation, there was no way to describe Dolly that would fully embrace the light and love she brought to every room. Considering her a “Beautiful soul,” Gill knew what it was like to witness Dolly’s light in person. “There are so few people in this life that everybody loves, and that’s her, to a T. She owned every room she ever walked in, and her talent was every bit as good as the person she was.”

While fame had the tendency to corrupt stars and celebrities, Dolly only used her worth for good. Always finding unique and creative ways to give back, Gill promised, “Gave away 350 million books to people and millions of dollars to charities, and everything she did was kind.”

With millions of records sold and countless awards to her name, Dolly had more than enough accomplishments to define her legacy. But for Gill, her greatest achievement was far simpler. She spent her life being kind. And as he put it, “That’s a great way to live.”

(Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images for CMT)