By: Carrington Davis
Graphics Editor
In the same recorded day of Aug. 25, 2026 America has lost two legends at the age of 80 years old. One the beautiful, heartfelt, southern belle, who was and is best known for being a beloved global entertainment icon, as well as selling more than 100 million records along with her songwriting prowess and who has reshaped the face of country music, popular music and the entertainment industry at large. This beautiful woman is the late Dolly Parton. The other, the talented, wide ranged comedian, known for his iconic roles as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (a role he actually originated on stage in Richard O’Brien’s original play) and Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King’s “It,” more specifically the 1990 miniseries.
In this short synopsis of their lives and talents I want to cover the impacts they’ve had on the world, but more specifically on two groups in it: children and the LGBTQ+ community. With the way everything’s been lately, with the heat of the weather, the fighting of politics and just everyday stressors, losing two lights like this feels hard. But these two have lived incredible lives and that should be remembered, not the pain of losing them. So here we are.
Dolly Parton is and will always be one of the most true and giving celebrities of our time. In her life she has accomplished so many good deeds through a form of charity that Billboard, a music and entertainment website, has even crafted an up-to-date list of them. A prime example is The Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, an organization that sends one book per month to each enrolled child in Sevier County from birth until their first year of school. The library was founded in honor of Parton’s father, who was unable to read himself. And in a time where it feels like everything from free and reduced lunch to early education for lower income children is being taken away, this being something that fights to continue is so powerful to me. You want your community to have the opportunity to be literate members of society. For Parton to have the chance and ability to see a problem like that, have the funds to make a difference, and then to actually do it says so much about her character.
“We should never forget that Dolly Parton chose to not be a billionaire… But instead she chose to reinvest in people and her community and today when I went to my mail box, on the day she died, there was proof of that sitting right there waiting for me,” said TikTok influencer Pearlmania about the Imagination Library.
With Rocky Horror turning 50 last year, the influence and culture that has hit not only the theatre community, but the queer community as well, has been great. That aside from being a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, his portrayal as Dr Frank-N-Further, along with Rocky horror as a whole has become a staple of campy horror in the media. And while yes some of the language in that movie, and the actions, have not held up the test of time, I can say with my heart that the character has.
“From the ’70s to the early 2000s, there was almost no queer representation in the media. If there was, we were victims, like in the film ‘Cruising,’ or so bland we vanished into the background, like on shows such as ‘Melrose Place,’” said writer Eric Diaz of the Nerdist.
To see Frank as not just an openly queer character but someone that puts his foot forward and stands out amongst the rest is truly eye opening to a viewer. He was a first in a way, and without the incredible acting of Tim Curry, we probably wouldn’t have had as iconic of a character as Frank-N-Further.
“Curry’s Frank-N-Furter portrayal represented something else. He hit us like a lightning bolt. When he sang ‘Don’t dream it, be it,’ he was giving us permission to be ourselves. Whether that was gay, lesbian, bi, trans, cross-dressing, whatever. He was saying, ‘Be yourself, and be fabulous. Even if the rest of the world doesn’t get it, or sees you as the bad guy,’” Diaz said.
And in close I want to thank them both from the bottom of my heart. These two truly helped me find myself, and I really believe that the world will miss them forever.
