The China Mail - 'Our patron saint': Tennesseans mourn local hero Dolly Parton

As news of Parton's death spread on Tuesday, hundreds of Americans gathered in her hometown of Sevierville to pay homage to their native icon.

"We've always called her our patron saint of Tennessee," Callie Konane Rickards, a 43-year-old costume designer and die-hard fan, told AFP after placing flowers at the statue outside the Sevier County Courthouse depicting Parton strumming an acoustic guitar.

Children with their parents did the same, some of them taking selfies as police officers, mourning locals and some tourists stood by.

"I just feel like her sparkle lives on in all of us," said Rickards.

With music heavyweights Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Jack White and others paying tribute to the late icon, Parton's neighbors and fellow Tennesseans offered more personal reflections of a star who never stopped seeing them for who they were.

Rickards and others spoke of Parton's unifying spirit, her devotion to mountainous, working-class East Tennessee, and how the singer-songwriter's presence bathed the region in a sort of country glamor.

"Dolly is like a mother to everyone who lives here," said 24-year-old local Jonah La Grand, clad in a Dolly Parton t-shirt and speaking of her in the present tense.

"She gives so much growth to the county and the surrounding Appalachia -- economically, yes, but she has also uplifted us spiritually. She's known worldwide for being so kind."

Mourners spoke to her generosity, particularly how she helped the community when wildfires swept through a decade ago.

Her nearby Dollywood theme park remains a vital economic engine for the region, and the Imagination Library she founded provides books for millions of children, they said.

- 'Mother Teresa' -

Later in the evening, at nearby watering hole Bluffs, regulars gathered to toast Dolly, sing karaoke versions of her songs and reminisce about their local legend.

Among them was a Parton cousin, Brent Allen, who said he grew up a stone's throw from the music legend on the hills of Locust Ridge above Sevierville.

"She's Aunt Granny to me," Allen told AFP before a patron sang a raucous rendition of "9 to 5," one of Parton's signature hits.

Parton and her 11 brothers and sisters grew up in severe poverty, and Allen said much of the region, even though it remains poor, has been transformed by Parton's relentless work and philanthropy.

"Sevier County is 100 percent the way it is today for no other reason than for Dolly Parton," he said.

"I think she has ascended to sainthood now."

Allen, 49, recalled how generous Parton was with her time whenever she gathered with him and other relatives for family reunions, celebrations, and funerals.

But what struck him was how her "salt-of-the-earth" persona could help so many people and bring so many Americans together -- regardless of their socio-political beliefs.

"I hope Dolly is our generation's Mother Teresa," Allen said. "She made everybody feel like they were special."

A private funeral for Parton is expected to be for family and close friends, followed by at least one public service, either in Nashville or Sevierville.

A.Kwok--ThChM