Fame is no easy feat. As a matter of fact, coping with fame is seemingly the hardest thing a famous person can do. Hence, it is no surprise that so many famous figures have come to such tragic ends. After all, what kind of life is a life that is viewed under a microscope with a razor-sharp sense of judgement? A difficult one that is, and one story that attests to that is the story of Elvis.
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We need not remind you of Elvis’ career arc, as it is a story that has been told a thousand times over. When Elvis’ arc was happening in real time, the masses saw the once-deified figure turn into a troublesome man tainted by fame. His whimsy and mystique seemingly diminished with every show, and the masses were reportedly growing more and more critical of him during his demise.
That being so, Dolly Parton sympathetically shared her thoughts on Presley’s demise and why it came at an appropriate time. An appropriate time, given how the public has the harsh ability to kick a man while he is down.
Like Everyone Else, Dolly Parton Idolized Elvis
Like many people of her generation, Dolly Parton idolized Elvis Presley. Though she also strongly related to him, despite the fact that they never met. Regarding her affinity for The King, she told Playboy in 1978, “But I always felt that we were kin. I feel like I know exactly how he was,” and “There was nobody that I ever related to more.”
“He was very loving, very emotional, very sensitive, very giving, very humble, thankful, grateful. I always felt that he was totally in awe of his own success,” added Parton. Per Parton’s soft spot for The King, and her understanding of fame and public relations, she also divulged her sympathetic view on Presley’s professional and health decline.
“He touched people’s lives in a lot of ways. He was the sex symbol of the world and when he started gaining weight and getting fat, he lost a lot of his glamor to a lot of people…When he started losing his glamor and doing those concerts, he became more ordinary.”
“That’s when they started publishing all the things about him. Thin people realized that he was not a god of any sort, but he was just an extraordinary human being. I think if he hadn’t died when he did, within the next five years he wouldn’t have been a hero at all, because he was talked about too much, seen too much. That’s how cruel the public can be,” concluded Dolly Parton.
It’s not our place to translate the feelings behind Parton’s perspective on Elvis. However, they are seemingly emotions coming from a place of admiration, empathy, and sympathy.
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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