Years After Dolly Parton Wrote Him a Letter, Eminem Reveals How Much Her Kind Words Meant

August 26, 2026

Dolly Parton had a way of making people feel special, and one of the final reminders of that kindness has come from an unexpected place: Eminem.

Following Parton's death on August 25 at age 80, the rapper shared a heartfelt tribute revealing a personal letter she had written to him several years ago. The two music legends never got the chance to meet, but Parton still took the time to reach out to Eminem with a message he says "really had an impact" on him.

Parton wrote to Eminem to congratulate him on his induction and tell him how much she admired his performance.

"Your performance was amazing and everybody said so," she wrote.

She then acknowledged the unlikely nature of their connection.

"Even though I don't know a lot about rap music, I've come to know that you are the very best at it."

But the most personal part of the letter came next.

Parton told Eminem that she had "always felt some unexplained connection" to him and had hoped they would get the opportunity to meet at the ceremony.

"I had hoped to meet you at the show but you know how nuts those things are," she wrote. "Maybe someday we'll meet."

That meeting never happened. But Parton's words stayed with him.

After sharing the letter following her death, Eminem explained just how much the gesture meant.

"I'm sorry we never got a chance to meet, but getting this note from Dolly really had an impact on me," he wrote.

"She definitely didn't have to take the time to do it."

Then came a particularly touching admission from a rapper who grew up listening to a very different kind of music.

"Even for a kid who mostly listened to rap music, she was an icon," Eminem wrote. "A superstar in every sense."

He ended his tribute with a simple message:

"Rest easy Dolly. And thank you for the kind words."

Parton's letter is a beautiful reminder of something that was so characteristic of her throughout her life. Even after becoming one of the most famous entertainers in the world, she continued to make time to encourage other people.

And in this case, she reached across genres and generations to tell another artist that she saw something special in him.

Dolly Parton died peacefully in Nashville on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. Her death has prompted an outpouring of tributes celebrating a life defined not only by extraordinary music, but also by generosity, humor and kindness.