Dolly Parton Remembers Performing For Queen Elizabeth II

On Thursday afternoon, Queen Elizabeth IIpassed away at age 96 around 1:30 PM ET on September 8, 2022.

At 1:30 PM that day, The Royal Family announced the news to Twitter in a brief statement, writing, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

On Friday, King Charles III gave his first public address and was officially named King in the country's first-ever televised ceremony, which can be watched here. But, even as a new King is named, many continue to mourn the loss of the late Queen, including "Jolene" singer Dolly Parton, who paid tribute to Her Majesty on social media.

In a brief statement posted to her Instagram page, the “9 to 5” singer, now 76, wrote, “I had the honor of meeting and performing for Queen Elizabeth II on my trip to London in 1977. She carried herself with grace and strength her entire life.”

“May she Rest In Peace,” she continued. “My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time. Love, Dolly.”

Many fans showered the post with red heart emojis. “Must have been an honor to meet her! As it was her to meet you❤️,” one follower commented. “From one Queen to Another ?,” another fan wrote. “She got to see an Earth Angel before seeing an Heavenly one!” a third follower chimed in.

The Dollywood founder was far from the only musician to pay tribute to the late Queen, as many famous faces took to social media to offer their condolences.

Sir Elton John released a lengthy statement on social media. “Along with the rest of the nation, I am deeply saddened to hear the news of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s passing,” it read.

“She was an inspiring presence to be around and led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace, decency, and a genuine caring warmth.”

“Queen Elizabeth has been a huge part of my life from childhood to this day, and I will miss her dearly,” he added.

Musician Ozzy Osbourne shared a photo of Her Majesty, tweeting, "I mourn with my country the passing of our greatest Queen."

"With a heavy heart I say it is devastating the thought of England without Queen Elizabeth II," he added.

On Friday afternoon, the 80-year-old "Beatles" musician, Sir Paul McCartney, took to Instagram to remember the "eight or nines" he met the Queen. “On the sad occasion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, my memories came flooding back and I would like to share these with you,” he wrote.

“I feel privileged to have been alive during the whole of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. When I was 10 years old I entered an essay competition in Liverpool and won my division for my essay about the British Monarchy so I have been a fan for a long time,” he continued.

“In 1953 when the Queen was crowned everyone on our street in Speke, Liverpool finally got a television set and we settled down to watch the Coronation in glorious black and white,” he added.

“Looking back I am honoured and amazed to see that I met Her Majesty eight or nine times and each time she impressed me with her great sense of humour combined with great dignity,” he concluded. “God bless you. You will be missed.”

Those interested can read about each of his encounters with the Queen by clicking here.