Final Public Appearance, Memories, Songs

Dolly Parton’s death on Aug. 25 at age 80 after a quiet battle with cancer resonated around the globe. But it was especially acute in Nashville, where she lived, launched her career, and died. In a special tribute episode of Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, host Joseph Hudak and Rolling Stone Senior Writer Marissa R. Moss talk about the vibe in the city, what we’ve felt, and what’s to come.

We also explain what Dolly’s final public appearance — at the opening of a truck stop off Interstate 65 in Tennessee — says about the way she lived and connected with her fans.

We also share our favorite Dolly moments, and offer thoughts on who in country music best embodies the Dolly spirit (one choice may surprise you). It’s a remembrance of a woman, an artist, and an icon whose impact will be felt for generations, only on Nashville Now.

Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone’s weekly country-music podcast, Nashville Now, hosted by Deputy Editor, Head of Country Joseph Hudak, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). New episodes drop every Wednesday and feature interviews with artists and personalities like Shania Twain, Shaboozey, Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson, Maggie Rose, Hardy, Charley Crockett, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Kings of Leon, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, the Black Crowes, Braxton Keith, Carly Pearce, Amy Grant, Luke Grimes, Brandon Lake, Breland, Bryan Andrews, Noeline Hofmann, Adam Mac, Devon Gilfillian, Gavin Adcock, Amanda Shires, Shooter Jennings, Margo Price, Michaela Anne, Ink, Ne-Yo, Rival Sons’ Jay Buchanan, Halestorm, Dusty Slay, Lukas Nelson, Ashley Monroe, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, Clever, Love on the Spectrum‘s Tyler White, Willie Nelson scholar John Spong, and authors Marissa R. Moss, Josh Crutchmer, Mark Gray, and Jonathan Bernstein.