Legendary Dolly Parton remembered for her Georgia ties

ATLANTA - Dolly Parton may forever be identified with the mountains of East Tennessee, but the country music icon who died Tuesday at 80 also left a lasting mark on Georgia — both personally and professionally.

RELATED: Dolly Parton, music icon, dies at 80

She married the love of her life in Ringgold. She filmed movies and television projects in metro Atlanta. She returned to the city for interviews and promotional appearances. And over the years, FOX 5 Atlanta entertainment correspondent Paul Milliken got to know the woman behind the rhinestones during a series of interviews stretching across several years.

"She loved Georgia. She loved the South," Milliken said while reflecting on her death Tuesday.

For Milliken, the memories are not just about interviewing one of the biggest stars in entertainment. They're about the way Parton treated people when the cameras weren't necessarily focused on her.

'Hello, I'm Dolly Parton'

Milliken recalled his first interview with Parton and one small gesture that stayed with him.

When she walked into the room, Parton went around to every member of the television crew, shook their hands and introduced herself.

"She didn't need to do that," Milliken recalled. "Everybody knew who she was."

That moment captured something Milliken said he saw repeatedly during his encounters with Parton: Despite decades of worldwide fame, she made a point of acknowledging the people around her.

He interviewed Parton six or seven times over the years and described her as a "wonderful person to interview."

One of his favorite memories came in 2023 at the opening of Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort. Before their interview, Parton picked up a guitar and performed an acoustic version of "Heartsong" for the small group gathered there.

Milliken jokingly called it his private Dolly Parton concert.

"It was as amazing as you think it was," he wrote. "Just the strumming of a guitar, that magical voice, and a song about her beloved Great Smoky Mountains."

Dolly Parton's Georgia love story

One of Parton's most significant Georgia connections began nearly six decades ago.

Parton and Carl Dean were married in Ringgold in 1966 after her record label reportedly encouraged the young singer to postpone marriage as her career was beginning to take off.

Instead, Parton and Dean quietly traveled to North Georgia and married in a small ceremony attended by her mother.

The marriage lasted nearly 60 years, until Dean's death in March 2025.

Milliken said Parton's connection to the region extended beyond that ceremony.

"She was married in Ringgold, Georgia, so she knew the area very well," he said.

Atlanta became a second workplace

Georgia also became part of Parton's entertainment career.

She spent months in Atlanta filming the 2012 movie "Joyful Noise" with Queen Latifah. Years later, the Netflix anthology series "Dolly Parton's Heartstrings" was filmed in the Atlanta area.

Milliken covered "Heartstrings" and attended its 2019 premiere at Dollywood, where he again interviewed Parton about the mountains and the dreams that started there.

"It's always exciting to get to come home and get to introduce some of my things ... and see all these dreams come true that I was dreaming when I was a little girl up here in these same mountains," Parton told him.

Milliken said Parton frequently came through Atlanta and genuinely enjoyed the area.

"She really loved our area," he said.

Her early touring career also included Georgia stops, including performances in the state during the 1970s.

A Tennessee girl who never forgot home

Parton was born Jan. 19, 1946, in Sevier County, Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children. She grew up with little money in a close family whose influence remained visible throughout her life.

During Milliken's 2023 interview, he asked why the Great Smoky Mountains continued to inspire her after decades of international success.

"Well, it's my home," Parton told him. "I was born and raised here. I think you never get over where you're born and raised, even if you have a bad experience. But I have a good experience about these mountains. I love these hills."

That connection eventually helped transform the Pigeon Forge area through Dollywood and her other businesses, while her philanthropy reached far beyond Tennessee.

Parton's Imagination Library grew from a local literacy program into an international effort providing free books to children. She also became known for supporting disaster victims, education and medical research.

"When you're an artist, when you get in a position to do something good, you should," Parton told Milliken during a 2021 interview. "Because it's kind of like making you feel like you're not just taking, but you're giving back."

Music, movies and a business legacy

Parton's career began taking off nationally in the late 1960s when Porter Wagoner invited her onto his television show.

She later built a solo career filled with songs that crossed generations and genres, including "Jolene," "Love Is Like a Butterfly," "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You." She also became a movie star and built a successful business empire centered around Dollywood.

Milliken also pointed to Parton's instincts as a businesswoman. She famously refused to give up publishing rights to "I Will Always Love You" when Elvis Presley wanted to record it — a decision that became enormously valuable when Whitney Houston later turned the song into a worldwide hit.

Milliken said Parton's ability to maintain control of her music was decades ahead of its time.

But for all the awards, business deals and iconic songs, Milliken's memories return to smaller moments — the acoustic performance, the interviews and the superstar who walked into a room and introduced herself to everybody.

'Just know you're loved'

During one of their interviews, Milliken asked Parton if she had a message for her fans.

Her answer was simple.

"Just know you're loved," Parton said. "God loves you, I love you, and we need to learn to love each other a little more."

Milliken ended his written remembrance with a message of his own:

"We'll do our best, Dolly. Because you always did your best for us."

Georgia reacts

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called Parton an American treasure in a social media post regarding her death. 

Georgia Tech paid tribute to Parton, who once performed at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in the 70s. 

GeorgiaNewsEntertainmentInstastories