Dolly Parton’s niece remembers a family legacy rooted in Sevier County

Heidi Parton says Dolly’s kindness, music and commitment to her hometown will continue through generations.

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (Smokies.LIVE Information Center) — For Heidi Parton, Dolly Parton was not the global superstar known around the world.

She was Aunt Granny.

It wasn’t until Heidi was about 10 or 11 years old that she began to understand just how famous her aunt had become.

“She was just Granny to me,” Heidi said. “It hit me later when people let me know who she was.”

Heidi has spent her life surrounded by music and performance, including performing at Dollywood. She grew up watching her father, cousins and other members of the family share the same love of music.

She said that musical tradition runs deep in the Parton and Owens families.

“I really did come from a long line of deep-rooted talent and love of music,” Heidi said. “It really is who we are.”

‘The show must go on’

Following Dolly’s death, Heidi said she knows returning to the stage will be difficult.

Her show is taking a brief pause as the family and performers grieve, but she intends to return.

“The show must go on,” Heidi said.

She said that was part of who Dolly was.

“You take a moment, you pause, you grieve, and it’ll come in waves as grief does,” Heidi said. “But you have to get up and keep going. It’s who we are. It’s who she was.”

For Heidi, continuing to perform is one way she can honor her aunt.

Seeing Dolly’s impact

Heidi said one of the most profound parts of the days following Dolly’s death has been watching people from around the world share their own Dolly stories.

Some met her.

Others may have only heard her music.

Some were helped by her during difficult moments.

But Heidi said the common thread is the impact Dolly had on people’s lives.

“I’ve really enjoyed, and I don’t want it to sound like I’m so happy about this. I’m not, but it has been so beautiful and so profound and almost otherworldly to see the impact that she made on everyone’s life,” Heidi said.

She has seen people come to pay their respects, each carrying a story about what Dolly meant to them.

And that impact isn’t limited to Sevier County.

Heidi pointed to tributes from around the world, including a performance of “9 to 5” by the Queen’s Guards and bands and landmarks being illuminated in pink.

For Heidi, those moments demonstrate just how far her aunt’s influence reached.

A family song

Music remains one of the ways Heidi and her cousins are carrying Dolly’s legacy forward.

Heidi recently recorded a version of Dolly’s “True Blue” with her cousins Shelley and Jada.

The song was released last Friday, and Heidi said Dolly had the opportunity to hear it and loved it.

The idea came after Heidi heard the song playing in the lobby of her theater.

She said she immediately loved the a cappella portion and began thinking about performing it as a trio with Shelley and Jada.

The three cousins had previously talked about performing together again, and “True Blue” provided the opportunity.

A friend, Jamie Grace, arranged the music for them.

For Heidi, the recording became a tribute not only to Dolly’s music, but also to the family’s history.

She said she believes the song was written and sung by Dolly about Heidi’s uncle Carl.

Now, the cousins’ version carries another layer of meaning.

“It meant so much because I’m pretty sure that she wrote and sang that about my uncle Carl,” Heidi said. “So we got to pay homage to him, but now we get to pay homage to a portion of her career, which is legendary at this point, which is the trios.”

‘You cannot beat family harmony’

Heidi said family harmony is something that cannot be duplicated.

She recalled a moment at her sister’s funeral when members of the family began singing “Amazing Grace.”

Some family members who typically stay out of the spotlight joined in.

“There were a couple on lead, and I was like, ‘It’s magical,’” Heidi said.

“You cannot beat family harmony. Somebody asked me the other day, ‘Do you believe in family harmony? Do you think that’s a thing?’ I was like, ‘I know it’s a thing. I experience it.’”

For Heidi, that musical connection is part of what Dolly leaves behind.

Carrying Dolly’s kindness forward

Heidi said she hopes to carry forward the qualities she admired most in her aunt — her kindness, joy, selflessness, intelligence and humor.

“She was so smart,” Heidi said. “The intellect and the intuition — she was genuinely brilliant in such a profound way.”

She also remembers Dolly’s ability to make people laugh without intentionally hurting them.

“She could absolutely insult you in the best way possible,” Heidi said.

But more than anything, Heidi said Dolly’s kindness is something she hopes to continue.

Even though Dolly is physically gone, Heidi believes her influence will continue to brighten people’s lives.

“Everybody keeps saying the world isn’t as bright anymore,” Heidi said. “It still is because she was here. She touched those lives, and that will still continue to light up.”

Dolly never forgot home

Perhaps nowhere is Dolly’s legacy more personal than in Sevier County.

Heidi said Dolly never needed to explain why she continued giving back to the community where she grew up.

“She always said, ‘I’m proud of where I came from and the people I came from, and I want to make sure that they are taken care of,’” Heidi said.

Heidi recalled Dolly saying she returned to take care of her people because they had always taken care of her.

“She was proud of them just like they were proud of her,” Heidi said. “And that’s exactly what she did.”

Dolly’s impact on the community reached Heidi and generations of her family.

“My dream is my job. My job is my dream. I get to live my dream every day,” Heidi said. “My dad did the same thing. My cousins do the same thing. My friends do the same thing. She gave us a job. She gave us a home.”

That home is Sevier County.

A moment the family will never forget

Heidi said she learned of Dolly’s death while shopping for something for work.

She began receiving text messages from friends but initially struggled to understand what they were telling her.

Eventually, she reached her uncle by phone.

“I was like, ‘I’m going to know immediately when he picks up the phone if this is real or not,’” Heidi said.

When he answered, she knew.

“It seemed unreal,” she said. “Like you were in the twilight zone almost. It’s like this isn’t happening.”

Heidi said it can be difficult to remember that someone as larger-than-life as Dolly was still a person.

“She did exactly what she was meant to do on this earth,” Heidi said. “She left it a lot better than she found it.”

A legacy that will keep growing

Heidi said Dolly’s influence isn’t ending with the people who grew up listening to her.

She is seeing younger generations discover Dolly, sometimes through Miley Cyrus, Dolly’s goddaughter, and develop their own connection to her music and message.

That, Heidi believes, is how Dolly’s legacy will continue.

Her beauty, talent, intellect and determination will be passed from one generation to another.

“If there was ever anybody that was going to live forever, in a sense, I couldn’t think of a better person,” Heidi said.

For Heidi Parton, Dolly will always be more than a legend.

She will be Granny.

Family.

A mentor.

And the woman who showed her hometown what it means to give back.