Dolly Parton Shares the Song that Reminds Her of Loretta Lynn and Naomi Judd
Loretta Lynn and Naomi Judd left lasting legacies on country music. The two musicians died within seven months of each other, and many members of the country music industry have found ways to pay tribute to the two iconic women. Dolly Parton has been dealing with their losses in several ways, and she recently shared a song that reminds her of her two friends.
Dolly Parton is still mourning the deaths of Loretta Lynn and Naomi Judd
Naomi Judd died in April this year, and many were saddened to hear about the “Young Love” singer. Almost seven months later, Loretta Lynn died after a six-decade career making influential country songs. In an interview with the TODAY show, Dolly Parton, a country music legend herself, talked about mourning their deaths and remembering the good times she had with them.
“Those things are very special,” Parton shared. “With Loretta, she was very dear to me, like a sister. Same with Naomi. We were (the) same age, and we loved the same things. And I loved her.”
Parton also mentioned Kenny Rogers, who died on March 20, 2020.
“I also lost Kenny Rogers — three of my dearest people — in the business in a very short period of time,” she continued. “I grieve over them almost like you do a family member. And I think of them, but you try to keep the good memories.”
Dolly Parton shares the song that reminds her of her deceased friends
While discussing how she remembers her three former colleagues, Parton brought up the song “Precious Memories” by Alan Jackson. The track was released in 2013 and is an extended cover of the 1972 version by Aretha Franklin. Dolly Parton cites one lyric from the Jackson version that stays with her and helps her stay connected to Loretta Lynn, Naomi Judd, and Kenny Rogers.
“The line I love in that song is, ‘Precious memories, unseen angels sent from somewhere to my soul,’” Parton said. “And I think about that. Those precious memories. They just flow in and out of you, and you remember special things about them. [They’re] like unseen angels, and you feel like they’re still all around you.”
Parton is kicking off 2023 with Miley Cyrus
2022 has given Parton plenty to mourn, and she will kick off 2023 with style. The “9 to 5” singer is co-hosting NBC’s New Year’s Eve party with her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus. The two will usher in the new year with live musical performances and many other memorable moments. Regarding 2023, Parton hopes that people will “do better” and try to be more united.
“My hopes for the new year is a little more kindness, a little more love, a little more trying to pull together instead of falling apart,” Parton explained. “I’m going to try my best to try to bring as much joy as I can and lift people up as much as I can in my way. I just think we all need to try a little harder. I don’t care what our politics are, or religion, or our color, or anything else. We need to try a little harder. That’s my personal New Year’s resolution, to try a little harder myself.”
