‘Dolly was my hero’: Orville Peck pays tribute to Dolly Parton at London gig – WATCH HERE
Peck opened his intimate London event with palpable emotion as he spoke about her death
By Aaron Sugg
Orville Peck paid tribute to the late Dolly Parton at his Rough Trade East London gig last night (25 August), moments after her death was confirmed by her team.
The country music icon and LGBTQ+ ally passed away yesterday (25 August) following a long string of health issues and a later brief battle with cancer.
Her cause of death was confirmed following an announcement from her nephew, Bryan Seaver, that the 10-time Grammy Award winner had passed away.
Dolly Parton passed away after “a brief battle with cancer”
In a statement from her representative to People, they shared: “After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.”
Peck, who appeared at an intimate show at the London record shop to perform songs from his upcoming album, Mule, warned fans that he was dealing with some heavy emotions following Parton’s passing.
“I’m a little bit of a mess right now,” said Peck. “She really stood for kindness and I think that’s something that is really lacking in the world these days… I feel we can always remember what she stood for.”
“I think Dolly was my hero” – Orville Peck pays tribute to Parton
He said he had never thought about the prospect of having a “hero”, though, reflecting on Parton’s death, the country singer said: “I think Dolly was my hero.”
As a publicly gay country singer, Peck spoke fondly about what Dolly, as an outspoken LGBTQ+ ally, did for him and others in his position.
“I think as a gay man coming into country music and feeling sort of alone, the thing that always felt comforting is, like, just knowing Dolly existed in country… made me feel like maybe I had a friend there.”
Peck’s fourth studio album, Mule, arrives on 18 September 2026.
A glittering legacy
Through her music, compassion, glamour and larger-than-life persona, Parton made a lasting impact on the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.
Her connection with the queer community extended beyond her music, with Parton repeatedly voicing her support for same-sex marriage, transgender rights and wider LGBTQ+ equality.
She famously once said: “If you’re gay, you’re gay. If you’re straight, you’re straight. And you should be allowed to be how you are and who you are,” cementing her status as a true LGBTQ+ ally.
An icon beloved by the drag community
Parton has also had a profound impact on the drag community. She has been honoured by shows including RuPaul’s Drag Race and even entered a Dolly lookalike contest in Los Angeles, where she was beaten by a drag queen.
“If I hadn’t been a woman, I’d be a drag queen for sure,” Parton once famously said.
Parton had reportedly been dealing with health issues that she had previously neglected while caring for her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in 2025.