Liza Minnelli pays tribute to Dolly Parton: ‘It can’t be true’

Daysia TolentinoSat, August 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM UTC

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Liza Minnelli; Dolly PartonCredit: Robin Marchant/WireImage; Jason Kempin/GettyKey Points -

Liza Minnelli shared a heartfelt tribute to her longtime friend Dolly Parton.

Parton died after a “brief battle with cancer” at the age of 80 on Aug. 25.

Minnelli looked back at their friendship and their 2022 musical collaboration with Michael Feinstein.

Liza Minnelli is honoring her late friend Dolly Parton.

The Cabaret actress shared a heartfelt tribute to the country music legend, who died at the age of 80 on Tuesday. She said Parton’s death was “devastating for so many reasons” and that “the sound we hear isn’t thunder; it’s hearts cracking all over the world. No. It can’t be true.”

“I love Dolly,” Minnelli wrote in an Instagram post on Friday. “And she was always a truly supportive friend. We cheered each other on many times. When I was in trouble? Dolly knew it.”

Minnelli, who turned 80 on March 12, recalled her friendship with the “Jolene” singer, crediting their shared former agent Sam Haskell with bringing them together, along with singer Michael Feinstein. The Liza with a Z star looked back fondly at the musical collaboration between her, Parton, and Feinstein in 2022.

“Because of Sam, our tribe has special & beautiful memories of Dolly,” she continued. “Sam brought Dolly into our lives in powerful ways. Michael sang ‘Love Is Here To Stay’ with Dolly for his Gershwin Country album, which I Executive Produced. Of course, it was a hit.”

Dolly Parton and Liza Minnelli attend the 2009 Tony AwardsCredit: Jemal Countess/WireImage

In the wake of Parton’s death, the Arrested Development alum said she would most miss the “spicy girl gossip during great meals, after visiting each others’ concerts.”

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“There’s much to say at this moment,” Minnelli, 80, concluded. “I can’t get any words out. My throat … my heart … are full.”

Parton died after a “brief battle with cancer,” her representatives confirmed on Tuesday. Following her passing, her former costars, collaborators, and loved ones came out to honor the Grammy winner, including her little sister Stella Parton, who said, “my big sister Dolly got her wings.”

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Dolly Parton attends Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs In Symphony World Premiere at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on March 20, 2025Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty

“If anyone gets to heaven I’m sure she made it right on time,” she wrote on Thursday. “I know she’s showing out big time, in all her sparkles and shine. That was my sister’s way.”

To celebrate the larger-than-life Parton, two of her classic films are returning to theaters. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias are currently playing in cinemas across the country.

AMC Theatres has the movies at about 200 of its locations nationwide, with tickets value-priced as AMC Fan Faves. Exclusively in the state of Tennessee, Regal Cinemas is playing the same pair of films, while the smaller chain Harkins Theaters is also screening the movies at select locations on Aug. 29 and 30.

on Entertainment Weekly

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”