JK Rowling launched a blistering attack on a social media user who attempted to tarnish Dolly Parton’s reputation by associating the late country legend with Donald Trump.
The country icon, who was famously apolitical, died on Tuesday at the age of 80, prompting tributes from across the globe.
Ms Rowling was among those who shared fond memories of the Jolene hitmaker. The Harry Potter creator had posted a heartfelt tribute to Ms Parton on X following the singer’s death on Tuesday after a short battle with cancer.
When a user responded by drawing a connection between Ms Parton and the US president, Ms Rowling fired back with a characteristically blunt retort.
Dolly Parton died aged 80 following a brief battle with cancer
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GETTY“Oh, do f*** off,” she fumed. “At a conservative estimate, Dolly Parton was 100,000x the person you are.”
The sentiment was echoed by several of Ms Rowling’s followers. “Dolly Parton intentionally stayed apolitical throughout her long career to focus on uniting people through her music rather than dividing them with partisan debates,” one follower also fired back.
A second pointed out in response to Ms Rowling’s post: “I’ve seen both the most conservative and the most liberal people genuinely mourning Dolly today. She kept her political opinions to herself and that kept her from ever becoming a polarizing person in our deeply divided society.”
“Trying to belittle her existence over a political difference is asinine and a bit insane,” a third added, while a fourth highlighted: “Dolly Parton spent decades avoiding politics. When asked why, she very famously said, ‘Because you’re going to lose half your audience.’ Still, leftists trash her, stereotyping a country artist. Trump TWICE offered Dolly the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She TWICE declined.” (sic)
JK Rowling has jumped to the defence of Dolly Parton
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PAMs Rowling’s initial tribute, posted shortly after the news broke, hailed the singer’s book-gifting programme. “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was the best contribution to child literacy ever made by a celebrity,” she wrote.
The author also shared a personal memory of meeting the star, revealing that the two had crossed paths backstage at a television chat show during the 1990s.
Ms Rowling admitted she had been left “completely tongue-tied and starstruck” by the encounter.
She rounded off her message with a simple farewell: “RIP Dolly. You were a complete, irreplaceable one-off.” (sic)
JK Rowling promptly dismisses the social media troll
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X/JK ROWLING
Ms Parton’s fierce determination to stay out of politics was a defining feature of her six-decade career. She refused to back candidates or align herself with either party, maintaining that her purpose was to unite audiences rather than fracture them.
In 2016, she made clear that remarks she had made about a woman occupying the White House had been misconstrued, insisting she had supported neither Hillary Clinton nor Trump.
Four years later, she spelled out her position unambiguously: “I am not political, and I refuse to get caught up in political things. I don’t like to get involved in politics, because first of all, I have as many Republican fans as I do Democrats.”
She had also spoken of watching other careers suffer from public political stances, preferring not to risk alienating half her audience.
Dolly Parton died following a ‘brief battle with cancer’
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GETTY
The Trump administration twice offered Parton the Presidential Medal of Freedom, yet she turned it down on both occasions.
President Trump himself paid tribute on Truth Social, calling her passing “a true loss for millions of people” and declaring: “There has never been anyone like her, and never will.”
He revealed that American flags be flown at half-mast nationwide for seven days.
The entertainment world responded with an outpouring of grief. Jane Fonda, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Dionne Warwick were among those paying their respects.
Donald Trump also paid tribute to the country singer on Tuesday
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REUTERSMs Parton’s career yielded more than 100 million record sales, thousands of compositions, and the creation of the Dollywood theme park.
Her most cherished philanthropic achievement, the Imagination Library, was founded through her Dollywood Foundation in 1995 as a tribute to her father, who had never learned to read or write.
Her family asked that donations be made to the Imagination Library rather than sending flowers, adding that a private funeral would take place at Ms Parton’s own request.