Pitbull says the late Dolly Parton “believed in me when a lot of folks didn’t”.
The Fireball singer was performing at Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, this week, when he took the time to pay tribute to Dolly, who died following a brief battle with cancer on Tuesday (25.08.26) aged 80.
He told the crowd: “We’re having a great time and then we’re losing our minds, but there’s someone that was very special to me and showed me love and believed in me when a lot of folks didn’t and gave me an opportunity. And her name is Dolly Parton. She lived an amazing life. A hardworking woman, intelligent, sophisticated, funny, powerful, intimidating, but more than anything a good human being with a good heart. And she showed me a whole lot of love. So to all the crowds, this is dedicated to y’all, but more than anything to the legend that will live forever, Dolly Parton.”
Pitbull played his 2024 Dolly collaboration, Powerful Women, a reimagined version of Dolly’s classic 9 to 5.
Pitbull sharing another example of Dolly’s generosity comes after Stevie Nicks shared that she had “the best week ever” in the studio with the country icon.
The Fleetwood Mac frontwoman recorded the duet What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You with the late country music icon for her 2023 album Rockstar.
Following the Jolene hitmaker’s passing, Stevie recalled getting her very own Dolly “masterclass” and having the honour of watching her transform into a “rock star” for the project.
Sharing a letter she wrote about the experience alongside a picture with Dolly on Instagram, she penned: “I spent a week with Dolly in Nashville to record one of my songs with her for her ‘Rock Star’ album.
“Best week ever.
“A week with Dolly was like a master class for me. I tried to be a sponge
– and learn everything I could learn from her – in a very few days. Learning from her was easy because she was a really good teacher. I think she saw me as a really good student; I just tried to listen.
“She said she could become a rock star – and I watched her do it. When I was there she was not even close to being finished gathering more rock and roll songs that she wanted to sing. (sic)”