Jelly Roll on Dolly Parton’s Death: “She Might Be the Last American That Everyone Liked”

Dolly Parton died Tuesday in Nashville at 80 after a brief battle with cancer, her team confirmed. On Jimmy Kimmel Live that night, guest host Jelly Roll addressed the loss directly, not as a distant country star but as someone formed by the same Tennessee landscape.

“We lost a legend today,” he told the audience. “She was such an inspiration to so many, myself included. We’re both from Tennessee and she meant a lot to my family, y’all. We used to sit around the kitchen table and listen to her music together as a family. I’ll never forget it.”

He credited Parton with shaping his approach to songwriting, the music business, and community work, before closing with a line that framed her cultural reach in plain terms: “She might be the last American that everyone liked. We will miss her dearly. Rest in peace, Dolly. We will always love you.”

The tribute arrived amid a wider wave of reactions from figures including Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Barack Obama. Later in the episode, Jelly Roll sat down with actor and comedian Leanne Morgan, another Tennessee native, and the two discussed Dollywood. Morgan said she raised her children there and still carries a Dollywood season pass in her wallet.