Humble queen Dolly Parton has asked Tennessee's legislators to stop the bill that would see a statue of her erected outside her home state's Capitol — at least for now.
"I am honoured and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration," Parton wrote in a statement.
"Given all this is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time," she continued. "I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I'm gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I'm certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean."
She added: "In the meantime, I'll continue to try to do good work and make this great state proud."
In January, Democratic representative John Mark Windle introduced a bill to install a statue of the country music legend in Nashville, in order to honour her "for all that she has contributed" to the state.
Last year, amid ongoing protests against racial inequality and police brutality, a fan named Alex Parsons has set up a Change.org petition in order to gather signatures in support of replacing all of Tennessee's confederate statues with the artist who "has given more to this country and this state than those confederate officers could ever have hoped to take away." Since launching in June, the petition has garnered over 25,000 signatures.
Following Parson's petition, Parton went on to warm hearts with her feel-good festive film Christmas on the Square, helped fund research for the Moderna COVID vaccine, asked fans for "kindness" on her 75th birthday, made Stephen Colbert cry tears of happiness and stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Maybe Dolly doesn't want the statue right now, but it's pretty clear she has earned the praise that led to its ideation.
"I am honoured and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration," Parton wrote in a statement.
"Given all this is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time," she continued. "I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I'm gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I'm certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean."
She added: "In the meantime, I'll continue to try to do good work and make this great state proud."
In January, Democratic representative John Mark Windle introduced a bill to install a statue of the country music legend in Nashville, in order to honour her "for all that she has contributed" to the state.
Last year, amid ongoing protests against racial inequality and police brutality, a fan named Alex Parsons has set up a Change.org petition in order to gather signatures in support of replacing all of Tennessee's confederate statues with the artist who "has given more to this country and this state than those confederate officers could ever have hoped to take away." Since launching in June, the petition has garnered over 25,000 signatures.
Following Parson's petition, Parton went on to warm hearts with her feel-good festive film Christmas on the Square, helped fund research for the Moderna COVID vaccine, asked fans for "kindness" on her 75th birthday, made Stephen Colbert cry tears of happiness and stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Maybe Dolly doesn't want the statue right now, but it's pretty clear she has earned the praise that led to its ideation.
