Why Did Dolly Mean So Much to Us?

When a celebrity dies, a few days of public grieving and tributes are to be expected. But it’s been more than a week now, and my social-media feeds are still full of quotes set to “I Will Always Love You” and news reports about a proposed airport renaming and an upcoming Dollyfest. Even the subsequent deaths of actor Tim Curry and poet and environmentalist Wendell Berry haven’t slowed the public adulation for the late singer, songwriter, and philanthropist Dolly Parton.