Country music superstar Dolly Parton celebrated her 80th birthday Monday with new music and greetings from friends.
The freshly minted octogenarian posted a new version of her 1977 tune Light Of A Pure Blue Morning over the weekend, which she teased to in her Instagram story Monday. In a new video for the song, she’s accompanied by Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire.
“You know we’re living in troubled and uncertain times… but we can’t let the darkness win,” she says at the start of the video as the music begins.
Her Instagram page says proceeds from the song will benefit pediatric cancer research at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.
While Cyrus celebrated by singing with Parton, the 33-year-old pop star’s famous dad expressed himself in writing.
“Happy Birthday Dolly! You’re a reminder of what music is supposed to do… bring people together, lift spirits, and tell the truth with heart,” country singer Billy Ray Cyrus posted on Instagram.
“As Miley’s godmother and a guiding light in our lives, your influence goes far beyond the charts… it lives in the lives she’s touched and the generations of fans she’s inspired.”
Actor Tricia Paoluccio, who played Parton in the musical Here You Come Again, also sent her love.
“Happy birthday Dolly,” she wrote. “I love you so much and hope you have the most wonderful day!”
Parton is coming off a rough year that saw her lose her husband of nearly 60 years in March in addition to dealing with health problems of her own.
She assured fans in October that concerns about her well-being were appreciated, but unwarranted after kidney stones sidelined her from a September appearance at her Dollywood theme park, and her Las Vegas residency in December was postponed due to “a few procedures.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
