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Picture a heavily tattooed person, and it’s unlikely that Dolly Parton is the person who comes to mind.<\/p>\n
And yet,\u00a0the late country legend\u00a0has been at the centre of countless rumours suggesting that she was secretly covered in ink.<\/p>\n
So did\u00a0Ms Parton\u00a0actually have an extensive collection of tattoos? Here’s what we know.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Although Parton was rarely, if ever, spotted out and about in short sleeves, eagle-eyed fans have been able to deduce that she did have some ink on her arms.<\/p>\n
In 2006, an image of Parton wearing a sheer white shirt at a DVD launch party for the 25th anniversary of\u00a09 to 5.<\/p>\n
And if you look at the photo really closely, you can make out what appears to be the outline of a butterfly tattoo on one of her upper arms.<\/p>\n
Take a look below:<\/p>\n
Parton had previously confirmed that she did, in fact, have some ink, sharing a peek at the angel and butterfly design with Jay Leno during a 1996\u00a0appearance\u00a0on his show.<\/p>\n
After noticing the ink on Parton’s shoulder, Leno enquired further, to which Parton replied by pulling her sleeve down ever so slightly, telling him: “Yeah, I have a little tattoo. Don\u2019t start pulling my clothes down.”<\/p>\n
In 2011, Parton’s friend Roseanne Barr shared further details about the singer’s ink, revealing that her tattoos were in pastel colours.<\/p>\n
“Do you know who\u2019s totally tattooed? I shouldn\u2019t even tell this. Dolly Parton is totally tattooed,” she told\u00a0Craig Ferguson.<\/p>\n
“She showed me. She\u2019s got all these awesome tattoos all over her body. No black or blue lines. All pastel, gorgeous bows all over everything.”<\/p>\n
Absolutely Fabulous\u00a0star Jennifer Saunders is another famous face who’s caught a glimpse of the ink, with the actor previously telling the panel show\u00a0There\u2019s Something About Movies, that she was once granted a sneak peak at a rose design on Parton’s chest.<\/p>\n
“She just unbuttoned her little jerkin and there were the most beautiful angels and beautiful butterflies and baskets of flowers in pastel-coloured tattoos,” the 68-year-old recalled.<\/p>\n
A picture of Parton from 2012 actually shows a glimpse of one of the tattoos Saunders saw on her chest.<\/p>\n
A tattoo is visible in this picture of Dolly Parton (Jason Merritt\/Getty Images)
\nA closer look (Jason Merritt\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Parton explained the motivation behind deciding to get inked in 2014, revealing that most of her designs were to cover up scars.<\/p>\n
“I do have a few little tattoos, but they were mostly done to cover scars because I\u2019m so fair,” she explained on the\u00a0Today\u00a0show in 2014.<\/p>\n
“So it started with that, and I\u2019m not really one to have tattoos, but I do have a few, and they\u2019re not where you can see them.”<\/p>\n
She went on to add that the tattoos were ‘mostly’ for her husband Carl Dean, who passed away last year.<\/p>\n
Parton died following a brief cancer battle (Shirlaine Forrest\/WireImage)<\/p>\n
Parton later confirmed the existence of her tattoos once again during a 2017 interview with\u00a0Vanity Fair, saying that she wasn’t intending to make a ‘big statement’ with her ink.<\/p>\n
“I was covering up some scars that I had, \u2018cause I have a tendency to have keloid scar tissue, and I have a tendency where if I have any kind of scars anywhere then they kind of have a purple tinge that I can never get rid of,” she explained. “So mine are all pastels, what few that I have, and they\u2019re meant to cover some scars. I\u2019m not trying to make some big, bold statement.”<\/p>\n
In 2020, she told\u00a0PEOPLE\u00a0that her ink also included ribbons, bows and butterflies.<\/p>\n
Parton in 1987 (Jerry Fitzgerald\/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
As for her decision to choose butterflies, Parton was known for having a long-held appreciation for the creature, from penning tracks such as ‘Love Is Like a Butterfly’ to featuring them as a motif in her clothing and stage set-ups.<\/p>\n
“Butterflies don\u2019t sting, they don\u2019t bite, and they are so beautiful,” she told W magazine in 2021. “And I just kind of related to them with my own personality. I claimed them as my little symbol.”<\/p>\n
Parton’s lifelong love for butterflies has since become entwined with memorials after it was announced that she’d passed away after a\u00a0brief cancer battle, with fans leaving various butterfly tributes while Google updated the ‘Dolly Parton’ results page to feature several fluttering animations of butterflies.<\/p>\n
Several big names have also\u00a0penned heartfelt tributes.<\/p>\n
Celebrities who have paid tribute to Dolly Parton
\nMiley Cyrus
\nMiley Cyrus was Dolly Parton’s goddaughter (Kevin Winter\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)<\/p>\n
Parton’s goddaughter wrote on Instagram: “The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share. Our most sacred moments were private and they\u2019ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts.<\/p>\n
“What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis.<\/p>\n
“I will always love her and want to make her proud. My heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply. We\u2019re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things.”<\/p>\n
Donald Trump<\/p>\n
The US president wrote on Truth Social: “Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away.<\/p>\n
“This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will.<\/p>\n
“In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you.”<\/p>\n
Taylor Swift<\/p>\n
Parton had previously praised Swift as a ‘great inspiration’, and the billionaire songstress wrote a touching tribute for the country icon.<\/p>\n
She wrote: “A world without Dolly doesn\u2019t feel possible, real, or right. But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was truly the gift that kept on giving. Dolly gave us someone to look up to while encouraging us to be who we are as individuals. Somehow she was able to give us her lessons about the world gently and honestly, simultaneously, and oftentimes hilariously.<\/p>\n
“She managed to give the world the ultimate mystery and fantasy in some corners of her life, but to give full transparency in the ways that counted.<\/p>\n
“Somehow she was true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person. She possessed the softest heart when it came to the struggles of others, and a backbone of steel to defend her own self worth as an artist.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlong with her other fans, I am so grateful for all of it. For the melodies and lyrics she wrote that thawed even the coldest hearts. For the millions of books she provided children all over the world so that they might fall in love with stories the way she did. For the tightropes she walked so that young girls like me could grow up dreaming of joining the circus too.<\/p>\n
\u201cDolly, I\u2019ll think of you each step of the way.”<\/p>\n
Beyonc\u00e9
\nBeyonc\u00e9 said Parton had a ‘profound impact’ (ANGELA WEISS \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The singer, who created her own version of ‘Jolene’ back in 2024, wrote: “Dolly, you were the barometer. The north star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself.<\/p>\n
“I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humour, your entrepreneurship. I\u2019m honoured that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever.<\/p>\n
“Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eminem
\nEminem shared a note Parton had written him (Scott Legato\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The ‘Real Slim Shady’ rapper shared a note from Parton congratulating him on his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 2022.<\/p>\n
Parton wrote in the note: “Even though I don’t know a lot about rap music, I’ve come to know that you are the very best at it.<\/p>\n
“I have always felt some unexplained connection to you like I know you somehow.<\/p>\n
“Just know you are very special and touch people in ways you don’t even know.”<\/p>\n
Eminem wrote: “I\u2019m sorry we never got a chance to meet, but getting this note from Dolly really had an impact on me. She definitely didn\u2019t have to take the time to do it.<\/p>\n
“Even for a kid who mostly listened to rap music, she was an icon. A superstar in every sense.<\/p>\n
“Rest easy Dolly. And thank you for the kind words.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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