Dolly Parton welcomes fans to new Life of Many Colors Museum in posthumous video
Weeks after Dolly Parton died at 80 following a secret battle with cancer, the country icon still found a way to welcome fans through the doors herself. Her Life of Many Colors Museum opened Tuesday at her SongTeller Hotel in Nashville, kicking off with a prerecorded message from Parton that played on a television screen.
In the video posted to the museum's Instagram, Parton appeared in a gold outfit and full glam. "Hi everybody, it's Dolly, and I am so proud to invite you to my Life of Many Colors Museum opening right here in the heart of Nashville," she said.
"This museum will be the largest museum of my life and career, filled with the stories, songs, and memories that I've carried."
She added that it holds "all of the things that have helped this little girl's dreams come true." The space showcases costumes from her decades-long career alongside framed gold and platinum records, with tickets available through dollyslifeofmanycolors.com.
A second goodbye
This is not Parton's first posthumous appearance. Earlier this month she accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americana Music Awards via a prerecorded message, and Sunday's MTV VMAs honored her with Kacey Musgraves performing "I Will Always Love You."
Taylor Swift also paid tribute while accepting her video of the year award, saying of Parton's songwriting: "Her storytelling was so vivid and so rich."
Visitors at Tuesday's opening were moved. "Museum Perfection, every sparkly detail," one wrote, while another summed the moment up: "Working beyond the grave. Such a hardworking woman."
