Dolly Parton, the legendary country music songwriter and performer, has died at 80. Shania Twain mourned her mentor on Tuesday with a social media post that included a clip from their 2003 duet on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
“Dolly was pure light sent from heaven. My mentor is gone. My songwriting teacher and hero of grace and humility,” Twain wrote. “There is a hole in my heart but the joy of just the thought of her smile will continue to fill me with inspiration for as long as I live.”
The 2003 Oprah Winfrey Show episode featured Parton and Twain performing Parton’s 1971 hit “Coat of Many Colors.” Twain, a Canadian singer-songwriter from Timmins, Ontario, has cited Parton as a major influence on her career and approach to championing female empowerment in the male-dominated music industry.
The special episode also featured performances from Melissa Etheridge and Alison Krauss, all of whom appeared on the Just Because I’m a Woman LP released that year. The album paired Parton’s songs with female artists influenced by her work and included appearances from Sinéad O’Connor, Shelby Lynne, Norah Jones and Mindy Smith.
Source: Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone
