Dolly Parton, 74, may get a statue on the Capitol grounds in Tennessee as a lawmaker is introducing a bill to honor the singer: 'She is a passionate person who loves everyone'
A statue of country music icon Dolly Parton could be added to the Capitol grounds in Nashville, Tennessee, if one state lawmaker gets his way.
Democratic Rep. John Mark Windle introduced a bill Tuesday that aims to honor Parton 'for all that she has contributed to this state,' news outlets reported.
'At this point in history, is there a better example, not just in America but in the world, of a leader that is a kind, decent, passionate human being?' Windle said Wednesday. 'She is a passionate person who loves everyone, and everyone loves her.'
A legend: A statue of country music icon Dolly Parton could be added to the Capitol grounds in Nashville, Tennessee, if one state lawmaker gets his way; seen in 2019
Aside from her status as a music icon, Parton is a lifelong philanthropist.
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She founded the Imagination Library, which mails books to children under the age of five across the world to improve child literacy, and her million-dollar donation to Vanderbilt University helped develop the highly effective Moderna coronavirus vaccine.
Her advocacy for racial justice was recently celebrated in a mural in Nashville.
She deserves it: Democratic Rep. John Mark Windle introduced a bill Tuesday that aims to honor Parton 'for all that she has contributed to this state,' news outlets reported. Seen in 2019
Windle said the state capitol commission would solicit input to develop a plan for the statue.
That would include its design.
And he said it should face toward the Ryman Auditorium, where she sometimes performs.
No taxpayer dollars would be spent according to the bill, which would create a fund for private gifts, grants and donations to pay for the statue.
The state loves her: A mural of Parton is seen outside The 5 Spot, a music club in Nashville
This comes after Parton has an unreleased song sitting in a time capsule at her Dollywood theme park.
The 74-year-old country music legend is not allowed to share the recording, which was among a number of items buried inside a wooden box at Dollywood's DreamMore resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, until the year 2045.
The 9 To 5 hitmaker will be 99 when the time comes to open the box and described not being able to share the song to burying one of her children, putting them 'on ice', and then not being around when they are brought back to life.
In her book, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, she revealed: 'It would be a song that will never be heard until 30 years from the time we opened the resort.
'They said, 'You'll be long dead.' I said, 'Well, maybe not. I'll be 99. I've seen people live to be older than that.'
Dolly time: This comes after Parton has an unreleased song sitting in a time capsule at her Dollywood theme park. Seen in 2019
'That's like burying one of my kids, putting it on ice or something, and I won't be around to see it brought back to life.
'It's just burning me up inside that I have to leave it in there.
'Anyway, it's kind of weird or strange that they would ask me to write this mystery song. I don't know if I want to live to be 100 or not. But you never know. I might, and if I do, I'm going to be at that opening.'
Last year, Dolly renamed one of the rides at Dollywood in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The 'Jolene' hitmaker - who co-owns the amusement park - altered the name of the 'Dixie Stampede' ride, as the word 'Dixie' has links to slavery.
Iconic: The 74-year-old country music legend is not allowed to share the recording, which was among a number of items buried inside a wooden box at Dollywood's DreamMore resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, until the year 2045. Seen in December
Dolly was inspired to make the change after musicians The Chicks dropped the word from their former band name, Dixie Chicks.
She said: 'There's such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that. When they said 'Dixie' was an offensive word, I thought, 'Well, I don't want to offend anybody. This is a business. We'll just call it The Stampede'.
'As soon as you realise that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don't be a dumba**. That's where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.'
Dolly is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, and said she understands the feeling of wanting to be 'felt and seen' by society.
She added: 'I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen. And of course, Black lives matter. Do we think our little white a**** are the only ones that matter? No!'
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