Bob Mackie has broken his silence on Dolly Parton’s death.
The legendary costume designer, 86, shared a heartfelt tribute to the country music icon, 80, on Instagram Tuesday following news of her passing. Mackie, known as the “Sultan of Sequins,” had been Parton’s go-to designer from early in her career, crafting the embellished ensembles that helped define her larger-than-life stage persona.
“Dolly was a lovely soul and spirit who was fair to everyone,” he wrote on Instagram. “She was a joy and pleasure to dress.”
Among Mackie’s most memorable creations for Parton was the winged butterfly gown she wore for the 1979 TV special “Dolly & Carol in Nashville” alongside his other longtime muse, Carol Burnett. That look, along with the scarlet lace mermaid-hem dress he made for the same program, now resides in the Dolly Archive, a 50,000-square-foot vault of rhinestoned jumpsuits and high-heeled cowboy boots. Many pieces are on display at Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum in Nashville and at Dollywood’s Dolly Parton Experience in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Butterflies held deep personal significance for Parton, who claimed the delicate creature as her emblem. “Butterflies don’t sting, they don’t bite, and they are so beautiful,” she told W in October 2021. “I just kind of related to them with my own personality. I claimed them as my little symbol.”
Oprah Winfrey also honored Parton with a backstage photograph from filming the television special “Dolly” in 1987. Winfrey wore a beaded black-and-gold Mackie gown while Parton glittered in champagne.
“One of my fondest memories with @dollyparton: Having a hoot and a holler while wearing Bob Mackie gowns on her show Dolly,” the television icon wrote.
“This girl from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee dreamed a life and then lived a life bigger than she could have ever imagined, giving so generously to others in ways we saw and ways we didn’t,” she continued. “No one like her. She brought the light, and we are all better because she was here. God bless you, Dolly—you earned your wings.”
Parton also dazzled opposite Cher — another star in Mackie’s inner circle — in the “If I Could Turn Back Time” singer’s ABC special, with the pair sporting yin-and-yang bedazzled gowns. The maximalist aesthetic Mackie helped create for Parton clearly influenced her goddaughter Miley Cyrus, who has also become a devoted fan of his sequin-spangled designs.
Parton herself never apologized for the flash. She once told Vogue that “more is more, and whoever made up ‘less is more’ is full of it.”
In the viral moment that sparked global mourning, news broke Tuesday that Parton had died at 80, prompting an outpouring of tributes from across the entertainment industry. The “Jolene” singer’s death marked the end of an era for country music and for the countless collaborators who helped shape her image over six decades in the spotlight.
Mackie’s tribute joined those from Winfrey, Reba McEntire, Lily Tomlin and others who remembered Parton’s generosity, talent and indelible cultural impact.
Flags across the United States were ordered lowered for one week in honor of the late star.