Beyoncé has paid tribute to Dolly Parton following the country music icon's death at the age of 80, describing her as "the barometer" and "the North Star" in a heartfelt message posted to her official website. The tribute follows Parton's death on Tuesday in Nashville, announced by her family, marking the loss of one of music's most influential singer-songwriters after a career spanning more than six decades.

Parton had collaborated with Beyoncé on her 2024 album Cowboy Carter, featuring on the "Dolly P" interlude that introduced Beyoncé's reworking of Parton's classic "Jolene", which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, well above the original's 1974 peak of number 60. In her message, Beyoncé thanked Parton for her "art, heart, generosity, humour and entrepreneurship" and called it an honour to have worked with her. Parton's decades-long legacy includes hits such as "Jolene", "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You", alongside a wide-ranging career as an actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist.