Dolly Parton fans were left stunned when her star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame was vandalized and is being repaired just days after her death at the age of 80.
Ana Martinez, spokesperson for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that a fan had reported that the star had been vandalized with many scratches.
Martinez also said repairs to the monument were already scheduled last week to repair the cracks in it. A crew has cleared all the flowers and is currently making repairs.
She added that the renovation is currently being handled by the Hollywood Historic Trust, which maintains and repairs the Walk of Fame stars, while Parton’s star will be polished and ready for fans to enjoy on Friday.
Video of the repair process was first posted by a Los Angeles radio station KNX, showing crews working to replace the monument after the land queen’s name was reportedly scratched off.
The Jolene hitmaker’s fans weren’t too happy to hear about the incident and flocked to the comments section to react as one wrote: ‘This hurts my heart so much. [heartbreak emoji]
Fans of Dolly Parton (seen in November 2023) were stunned when her star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame was vandalized and is being repaired just days after her death at the age of 80.
Ana Martinez, spokesperson for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that a fan had reported that the star had been vandalized with many scratches.
“Another proof no matter who you are or what you do – someone will hate you,” wrote another, while another commenter said: “WTF who would do that”
Others were aware of the repairs, as one wrote: ‘The star was broken from normal wear and tear. There were cracks in it and had to be replaced.’
Parton had received the honor more than four decades ago in 1984, and in the days following her death, it has served as a place for her fans in Southern California to pay their respects.
Parton died last week, as emerged at the time that she secretly battled cancer, although the specific species was not made public.
In his Instagram video announcing her death, her cousin Brian Seaver conveyed Parton’s wish “to rest in a beautiful plush cotton bed, because after a lifetime of carrying heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to get comfortable and have some rest.”
He praised his aunt for “living in the light” and said she was now “in the arms of Jesus” and in the company of her late husband Carl Dean, as well as her parents and “countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in heaven.”
Dean died at the age of 82 from causes that remained private in March 2025, two months before what would have been his and Parton’s 59th wedding anniversary.
Often called the Queen of Country, Parton enjoyed an illustrious music career spanning six decades and was perhaps best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5.
Parton (pictured in London in March 1993) died last week after it emerged she had secretly battled cancer, although the specific strain was not made public.
Martinez also said that the monument (seen on Thursday) already had to be repaired last week to repair the cracks in it and that a crew has cleaned up all the flowers and is currently making the repairs.
Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee, the fourth of twelve children, six of whom are still living.
Her death followed months of health problems that saw her withdraw from a series of public appearances, fueling fans’ fears for her well-being.
In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had stated that she still had “so many things I want to accomplish” and vowed to “keep working as long as I can to see everything come to life,” via People.
She explained that she was struggling with “some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”
Parton once told NPR that her 1973 classic Jolene was partly inspired by a local bank teller who developed a flirtatious relationship with Dean.
“She was deeply in love with my husband,” she said at the time. “And he just loved going to the couch because she was paying so much attention to him.
“It was kind of like a running joke between us when I said, ‘You spend a lot of time at the bank. I don’t think we have that much money.’
Many fans were very angry about the vandalism as they commented on a video posted by local Los Angeles radio news station KNX
Others took a more down-to-earth approach
Years later, on stage at Glastonbury, she said of the song, “I wrote that years ago when my husband… was spending a little more time with Jolene than I thought he should be. I put an end to that. I quickly got rid of that red-haired woman.”
Parton and Dean first met at a laundromat in Nashville in 1964, when she was 18 and he was 21, and they exchanged vows in May 1966.
“I had never been to a laundromat before,” she recalled in the 2023 documentary Dolly Parton: In Her Own Words. “I walked outside and there was a handsome man driving by the Wishy Washy Laundromat. And he stepped aside. So we started talking and two years later we got married.’
Throughout her decades of high-octane superstardom, Dean remained a constant and supportive figure for Parton behind the scenes.
Parton offered her audience a rare glimpse into her 2024 wedding and revealed the reason why her husband refused to attend events with her.
She noted that her husband was “not the least bit interested in” her songs, despite loving her job, on Bunnie XO’s Dumb Blonde podcast.
A telling moment occurred early in their marriage when she persuaded Dean to attend an awards ceremony in 1967, where she won song of the year.
The outing made such an impression on her “homely” husband that he promptly informed Parton, “I wish you all the best, but don’t ever ask me to go to another damn thing because I’m not going.”
Parton married her husband Carl Thomas Dean in 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia
The couple, who renewed their vows at their Nashville home in 2016, used humor to dispel any potential for conflict in their decades-long relationship.
Parton raved that her husband was “hilarious,” explaining, “He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny…we have a lot of fun.” Always [there is] there is too much tension, each of us can enjoy it, make up a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it get to that point. We never fought back and forth.”
When he died last year, she wrote a heartfelt tribute to their “many wonderful years together,” adding: “Words cannot do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and condolences.”
