CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFTS) — Country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton died Tuesday at age 80.
Meghan Lewallen, a Dolly Parton fan, said the loss is deeply felt.
"I feel like a huge light has been taken out of this world. I feel like she brought everybody together from all walks of life. She just loved everybody," Lewallen said.
In Clearwater, the team at Ruth Eckerd Hall and fans across the Tampa Bay area are remembering the icon who performed on that stage multiple times.
Ruth Eckerd Hall's Chief Programming Officer and Executive Vice President of Entertainment Bobby Rossi said Parton occupied a category all her own.
"So many people use the word star in our business after doing this for a long time, and then there are superstars. That's her category," Rossi said.
Parton performed at Ruth Eckerd Hall multiple times — in 1992, 2008, and 2011 — and in 2016 with Ruth Eckerd Hall On The Road in Tampa.
Rossi said watching audiences react to Parton in person was unlike anything else.
"I just turned around and watched the audience reaction, and it was just magic. I mean, if there's a spot on Mount Rushmore for a person, it should be her," Rossi said.
Parton leaves behind an enormous philanthropic legacy, including her Imagination Library program, which gives free books to children. Fans say they plan to carry that legacy forward.
"Hopefully that way I can carry on her legacy," Lewallen said.
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