Legendary singer Linda Ronstadt made a rare appearance on social media to pay tribute to her longtime friend and frequent collaborator Dolly Parton.
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Parton, a national treasure and the undisputed “Queen of Country Music,” passed away yesterday (Aug. 25) in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer. She was 80.
Now Ronstadt, retired since 2011 due to progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurodegenerative condition that left her unable to sing, is remembering her Trio bandmate.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend, Dolly Parton,” the 80-year-old wrote alongside a candid snapshot of her, Parton, and fellow Trio member Emmylou Harris. “One of the most extraordinary musical experiences of my life was recording with her.”
“The world is a poorer place without her,” Ronstadt concluded.
Parton, Ronstadt, and Harris recorded the original Trio album back in 1987. A sequel, Trio II, dropped a dozen years later. In 2016, The Complete Trio Collection was also released, highlighting the singers’ three-part harmonies.
Fellow Mucicans and Fans React to Linda Ronstadt’s Touching Tribute to Dolly Parton
Of course, Ronstadt’s post was filled with comments from mourning fellow musicians.
“My heroes… all three of you,” Sheryl Crow wrote. “Love those 3 women. Have known them all my life,” Roy Orbison Jr added.
Fans also weighed in on Ronstadt’s tribute.
“I’m listening to the complete trio right now … 🤍. Thank you for sharing this photo,” one fan wrote. “How lucky we were to have known just a tiny fraction of the light that is Dolly🩵,” another thoughtful fan added.
“Please take good care, Linda. Thank you to you, Dolly, and Emmy Lou,” a third fan wrote.
Meanwhile, it took some time before Parton, Ronstadt, and Harris recorded Trio after the three first performed together. In a 1976 episode of Parton’s syndicated show, Dolly, the trio performed “Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow” by the Carter Family and “The Sweetest Gift.”