Shinedown‘s Brent Smith has paid tribute to Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, saying she will be talked about for centuries.
Brent Smith has spoken about Dolly Parton‘s death and the country records that shaped him, telling Greg Phillips of Australian Musician that her influence will long outlast the people mourning her.
Smith traced his own country grounding to his grandmother.
“My country influences came from [Dolly‘s] era. I grew up listening to Dolly Parton. My granny, my mother’s mother, raised me on Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn. She raised me on Hank Williams. She raised me on Johnny Cash. She raised me on Waylon Jennings. She definitely raised me on Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams. I was influenced a lot by that era of country music,” he began.
“As far as Dolly is concerned, I think there’s a reason why the entire world, and I think every single country, I think there’s probably 270 flags that are all at half-mast for the next week. And I’m saying that gives you an indication of the — I don’t wanna say the ‘mark’ that she left, but the type of individual where she was beloved by the entire planet,” Smith continued.
Smith also raised the death of Tim Curry, and how close together the two came.
“It’s tough because you’re in this timeframe where some of these artists that are in their late 70s, early 80s… It’s weird because 80 almost feels, in this day and age, not that old. You see people now living much longer. But also, too, within a two-day period, Dolly Parton passing away at 80, and then [beloved British actor and singer] Tim Curry passing away at 80. And Tim was a remarkable artist in his own right,” he said.
They were in fact closer than that. Both died on Tuesday 25 August, both at 80, Parton in Nashville, Curry late that night at his home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles.
Curry, born in Grappenhall, Cheshire in April 1946, originated Dr Frank-N-Furter on the London stage in 1973 and carried the role into the 1975 film of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show“. He also played Pennywise in the 1990 television adaptation of Stephen King‘s “It“, and appeared in “Clue” and “Home Alone 2“. A stroke in 2012 left him using a wheelchair and he moved largely into voice work, publishing a memoir, “Vagabond“, last October.
A statement from his longtime manager Marcia Hurwitz said: “Though widely known for his inimitable, flamboyant characters and colorful stage performances, his greatest legacies to those who knew him were his curious, expansive mind and generous, gentle heart, both of which remained open and filled with anticipation until his final breath.”
Smith closed on Parton: “But I think what I feel about Dolly is the beautiful, positive impression that she left on the world that will… Dolly Parton will be talked about for centuries. I just feel lucky that we had her as long as we had her, and that I was alive during the same time that she was, because she was just an extraordinary human being.”
Parton died on Tuesday 25 August at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, with her family around her. She was 80.
The news was officially shared via a statement from her PR firm, True Public Relations, accompanied by a deeply personal video message from her nephew, Bryan Seaver.
Born on January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, Parton rose from humble Appalachian roots to become one of the most recognized and influential figures in entertainment history. Her big breakthrough came in 1967 when she joined country star Porter Wagoner on his syndicated television series, a partnership that launched her into the spotlight before she transitioned into a massive solo career in 1974.
In the emotional video statement, Seaver revealed that delivering this message was a task Parton had entrusted to him years prior.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he said.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” Seaver continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”
Parton’s career spanned over six decades, leaving an indelible mark on music, film, and philanthropy. Known for timeless classics like “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “9 to 5,” her quick wit and signature sparkle masked one of the sharpest songwriting minds in American history. Beyond country music, her generosity reshaped lives around the globe through initiatives like the Imagination Library, which has gifted over 200 million books to children.
Even late in her career, Parton continued to redefine her artistic boundaries. In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor she initially tried to decline out of respect for the genre’s origins. True to her character, once inducted, she declared she would earn the title.
That promise resulted in her 49th solo studio album, Rockstar (2023), a star-studded rock record featuring collaborations with iconic musicians including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Steven Tyler, Elton John, and Stevie Nicks. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard charts, proving that no matter the genre, Parton possessed an innate ability to unite audiences across generations and styles.
Shinedown are on the road through early September on the North American leg of the “Dance, Kid, Dance Act II” tour, currently without bassist Eric Bass, who stepped back in July.
