Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the news in a video post on her Instagram page, speaking on behalf of the Parton and Owens family. He described her as "Sister, Sis, Aunt, Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next" and said the video announcement was something she had asked of him years ago.
Liverpool performances remembered
As the world remembers the star, the ECHO has looked back at her performances in Liverpool. Dolly Parton performed at the ECHO Arena - now M&S Bank Arena - in 2011 and 2014. On August 31 2011, she told the Liverpool crowd "it's so fun to be here in the home of The Beatles" before picking up her guitar for Jolene. She then grabbed a banjo for a bluegrass medley, segueing into Help by the Beatles as a tribute to the city.
Return in 2014
She returned on June 8 2014, performing over 26 songs. She told the crowd: "Beneath this big hair there's a brain, beneath the big boobs, there's a heart." At the time, a review noted she saved the big guns for last, with a finale of singalong favourites including Here You Come Again, Islands in the Stream and 9 to 5, which had the whole crowd up and dancing. Finishing with I Will Always Love You, she reminded the Liverpool crowd just how talented she is.
Photographer's memory
Photographer David Munn, who photographed Dolly at the arena on both occasions, told the ECHO: "One thing I do remember, apart from being in the presence of a true legend is that her team asked for reference - through the venue - to my photographs from 2011 to make sure she didn't wear the same dress!" During the 2011 tour, Dolly performed for record-breaking attendances in both Europe and Australia, surpassing her previous attendance records.
