Super-fans, curious passers-by and more gathered at 9 p.m. Saturday at IU’s Sample Gates to light candles, shed tears and listen to the stories and songs of Dolly Parton.
Several dozen attendees, young and old, were unified by their love for the late artist, who died Tuesday, through her music and her legacy.
The vigil was spearheaded by associate instructor Danin Richardson and IU anthropology professor Sarah Phillips. Phillips has taught the course “The Anthropology of Dolly Parton” for about two years. The course is designed as an introduction to the subject of anthropology through the lens of Dolly Parton’s life and career. Richardson said he wanted to host an event in Parton’s honor as soon as he heard the news of her death.
“We made a flyer as soon as we could,” Richardson said. “We shared it as much as we could, and we knew that Sample Gates was the perfect place because it's the hub of this community.”
The night kicked off with a rendition of “Amazing Grace” played live on the bagpipes, followed by a performance by Jessica Storey-Nagy, who teaches Eastern European studies in the Department of Anthropology. She sang Parton’s songs “My Tennessee Mountain Home” and “9 to 5,” accompanied by her own guitar playing.
Phillips then opened the rest of the evening to an open mic, where members of the community were invited to sing songs or tell stories of how Dolly affected their own lives.
One such community member was Marabai Rose, who was decked out in cowboy boots, a cowboy hat and a sparkly red dress. Rose is a member of the local musical duo Wreckers of Romance. She told the crowd how much she related to the story of Dolly’s life, resonating specifically with how they both grew up in poor households. She then sang her favorite Dolly song, “I Will Always Love You.”
“I'm very sad that Dolly passed away, and I wish it had not happened,” Rose said. “But it’s also been really encouraging to see how widespread of a mourning and acknowledgment that the whole world is showing and experiencing together.”
Phillips told the Indiana Daily Student in an interview that Dolly was “the great unifier” and that everyone from every walk of life loved her and her work.
“Dolly was about acceptance. She was about being yourself,” Phillips said. “And that is really something that I think students are craving right now: that freedom to express themselves however they want to.”
During the Spring 2027 semester, associate instructor Rachel Seymour will teach Phillips’ “The Anthropology of Dolly Parton” course while she is on sabbatical.
Seymour told the IDS that Parton had a wide reach. She said you might find Dolly fans that are conservative or queer but are all “unified by Dolly.”
“You think about this lady who grew up in Appalachia in a very humble beginning,” Seymour said. “And she became this larger-than-life personality.”
The vigil ended about an hour after it began with around 30 people holding candles as the night grew darker.
“We really need more love and acceptance in the world,” Rose said. “And so, I hope that her passing allows us as a culture to really recognize and embrace that this is the direction we need to move in.”
