The 'Jolene' hitmaker is 'honored and humbled' by the lawmakers' plan but she urges the officials to drop the idea as she doesn't think it's an appropriate time for that.
- February 19, 2021
AceShowbiz - Dolly Parton has vetoed a bill to erect a statue of the country queen outside the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville.
The "Jolene" singer has urged lawmakers to drop the idea because she doesn't think it's a good idea for right now.
Tennessee House of Representatives member John Mark Windle first proposed the statue plan last month (Jan21), and the measure passed in the Naming & Designating Committee. It was headed to the State Government Committee for further approval when Parton herself put the brakes on the idea.
In a statement released on Thursday (18Feb21), Dolly thanked the lawmakers for considering the bill, revealing she was "honored and humbled by their intention," and adding, "Given all that is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time."
"I hope, though, that somewhere down the road, several years from now or perhaps after I'm gone, if you still feel I deserve it, then I'm certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean. In the meantime I'll continue to try to do good work to make this great state proud."
Windle wanted to honour Dolly with a statue to mark her 75th birthday and all the singer's contributions to her home state, including the Imagination Library, themepark Dollywood, and a recent $1 million (£720,000) donation to Vanderbilt University's COVID-19 research that assisted in the development of the Moderna vaccine.
