Dance Music community mourns the passing of Dolly Parton
Galantis leads dance music’s tributes to Dolly Parton, whose sparkly and PLUR spirit made her the ultimate dancefloor icon.
The world lost a true icon this week. Dolly Parton, country legend who really needs no introduction and whose influence stretched far beyond country music and Nashville itself, sadly passed away on August 25 at 80 years old.
Dolly Parton gave the world songs like “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You,” but her impact was always bigger than music. In many ways, Dolly embodied what rave culture preaches at its very core: peace, love, unity, and respect.
In addition to winning 11 Grammy awards and 55 nominations and selling more than 100 million records, Parton led her life with generosity and radical acceptance. Her life’s work was the Imagination Library, founded in 1995 in honor of her father, who could not read or write. The program mails children a free book every month from birth to age five, regardless of family income. By her death, it had distributed nearly 305 million books internationally. Born into poverty in rural Tennessee, Dolly poured her success back into the communities around her, creating Dollywood, donating to disaster relief funds, medical research, and more.
Although she is known for her renowned country hits, Dolly Parton is also an EDM icon. In 2019, she teamed up with Galantis and Mr. Probz for “Faith,” an electronic reimagining of John Hiatt’s “Have a Little Faith in Me” that earned Dolly her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart. Before that, Dolly flirted with disco herself as early as 1979 with “Baby I’m Burnin’,” which reached No. 15 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart.
Galantis shared an emotional tribute following her passing on Instagram: “No one inspired me more than you, not only in music but in life. I am endlessly grateful for the moments we shared and for the song we left behind.”
In Dolly’s honor, Hot Since 82 also just dropped his own remix of Jolene during a Mixmag set in London this week. Todd Terje previously remixed the classic into a disco rework, and Ferreck Dawn transformed it into a house track. In 2021, Destructo released one of its few official remixes, fusing Dolly’s original vocals with deep-house bass. Dolly herself gave it the ultimate stamp of approval, calling it her favorite remix and declaring, “It makes me want to dance!”
Dolly Parton built a legacy by leading with love, generosity, and an unwavering commitment to always being true to herself. Her spirit will live on in the rave community, not just through the glitter, but through the beautiful songs and life lessons of how to live life authentically and with integrity. As Dolly said: “Dream more, learn more, care more and be more.”
Featured image courtesy of aestheticplusonline.com
About The Author
Lily Tenner
Hi, I’m Lily! I’m an LA-based concert & festival diehard! My life was forever changed after my first festival, Coachella 2019, and then fully spiraled (in the best way) after my first EDC in 2023. I have attended over 140+ shows... I am the ultimate stage hopper and will always make it to the barricade. I love dubstep, house, trance, techno, bass, you name it. If I’m not at a show, I’m working as a social media manager & photographer, or probably listening to music, learning how to DJ, planning my next festival, or watching a Gordon Ramsay cooking show with my cat. I am so excited to be writing for Exron and sharing my love for music. If you're reading this, thanks for being here and reading my stuff!
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