Fans pay tribute to Dolly Parton in Sevierville, Tennessee

SEVIERVILLE, TENNESSEE — Country music icon Dolly Parton is being remembered after she died on Tuesday after a short battle with cancer.

Parton grew up in Sevierville, Tennessee, which is a few miles from the theme park in Pigeon Forge that bears her name, Dollywood. Channel 9’s Dave Faherty spoke with fans on Wednesday there.

The memorial in downtown Sevierville continues to grow.

People from across the country and around the world were leaving flowers to honor Parton.

“The timing of it was a real shock anyway,” said Lisa Smith, who is from England. “And we feel like we represent England and all of our family and friends back home.”

There is a statue of Parton that has been outside the historic courthouse for nearly 40 years. She and her father were there when it was dedicated in the late 1980s.

The music, television and movie icon had a tremendous impact on that part of Tennessee, helping families after the deadly 2016 wildfires and in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.

“She just helped them after the flood,” said fan Busch Hedgepath. “She came to the Walmart. She done a good thing.”

Fan Ann Sinclair, who was in Sevierville, said Parton never forgot about her hometown roots and the people who live there.

“The person that she was and how she treated other people, she was a queen in every sense of the word,” Sinclair said. “Did so much for us here and for Tennessee and the world.”

Dollywood reopened Wednesday after being closed on Tuesday.

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