Dolly Parton on the Death of Charlie Daniels: ‘My Heart Is Broken’
Country music lost a titan, and Dolly Parton lost a friend when Charlie Daniels died on Monday (July 6). Her heart is broken, she says.
The pair of Country Music Hall of Famers go back well over 40 years. They've shared stages and even a song, "Daddy's Old Fiddle," from the Charlie Daniels Band's Deuces album of collaborations from 2007. So many artists have spoken out after the 83-year-old's passing, but Parton's statement speaks to who Daniels was as a person and businessman.
"Well, the devil went down to Georgia, but Charlie went straight to heaven," Parton begins in a note on social media, adding:
My heart, like many millions of others, is broken today to find out that we've lost our dear friend Charlie Daniels. It was such a shock. He was one of the great people in the business and one of the greatest entertainers ever. He will live on in our hearts. Rest in peace, Charlie.
While from different parts of the country and with very different sounds, Parton and Daniels represent an older generation of country star the current generations look up to with reverence. Daniels is universally remembered by those who new him well as being gracious with his time and music. The same is often said about the 74-year-old Parton.
Her message feels familiar, because it was just months ago that she was tributing another friend lost in Kenny Rogers, who died at age 81 in March. His death also caught Parton by surprise, but unlike Daniels, she was aware that Rogers' health was in decline. Daniels died quite suddenly after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke.
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