# The Proms says goodbye to Dolly Parton

> The Royal Albert Hall closed its 2026 season with a three-song farewell to the Queen of Country, gold jumpsuit and all.
- Title: The Proms says goodbye to Dolly Parton · Dailymail | Shortify
- Summary: The Royal Albert Hall closed its 2026 season with a three-song farewell to the Queen of Country, gold jumpsuit and all. Dolly Parton's songs carried the Last…
- Keywords: dolly parton, bbc proms, tribute, country music, sheridan smith, news, entertainment, Proms, goodbye, Dolly, Parton, Dailymail
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16126759/Last-Night-Proms-pays-moving-tribute-Dolly-Parton-Sheridan-Smith-wears-gold-sequin-jumpsuit-memory-Queen-Country.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-09-13T00:17:24+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: dolly parton, bbc proms, tribute, country music, sheridan smith, news, entertainment
## A royal send-off
The BBC Proms marked Dolly Parton's death with a full musical tribute at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night.
## To Dolly, With Love
The second half of the Last Night opened with a bespoke arrangement under that title, written for the occasion by English composer Fiona Brice.
## Sheridan Smith opens with 9 to 5
Smith kicked off the segment with Parton's working-women's anthem, in a gold-sequinned jumpsuit built to match the Queen of Country.
## The wig, the strut
Smith, best known as Ruth in Gavin and Stacey, arrived in a big blonde wig and glitter, strutting through the number with a large dance ensemble behind her.
## Jolene, slowed down
Twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy of the Ward Thomas Duo followed with a sombre reading of Jolene, backed by the choir.
## Beverley Knight closes it out
The soul singer finished with a dramatic I Will Always Love You, the karaoke standard Parton wrote, and the hall erupted.
## Gareth Malone, lost for words
The choir master was still recovering when the Proms co-hosts turned to him after the segment ended.

> Are you expecting me to speak after that?
## What got him was the choir
Malone told hosts Nick Mohammed and Katie Derham the arrangement moved him, singling out the moment the voices rose behind the soloists.

> It was so emotional, it was beautiful, I love Dolly, that was a wonderful rendition.
## A full orchestra behind the hits
The BBC Symphony Orchestra shared the stage for all three renditions, giving country songs a symphonic backing.
## Flags and a festive buzz
Conductor Sakari Oramo called the hall stunning and picked out the flags in the crowd, including Finnish ones from his home country.

> There's such a festive buzz. The atmosphere is really tangible and there are all the flags.
## Viewers called it fitting
Fans watching at home praised the segment, settling on the same phrase: a fitting tribute.
## She died last month
Parton died at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 80.
## Months of health worries
Her death followed a run of cancelled public appearances that had fans openly worried about her wellbeing.
## More than 100 million records
Parton's sales put her among the best-selling artists of all time, across a catalogue she largely wrote herself.
## Eleven Grammys
The awards came alongside the sales, cementing a career that critics and the industry both backed.
## Six decades of it
Her run as the Queen of Country stretched across sixty years, long enough that the Proms audience knew every chorus.
## The season's last note
The concert closed BBC Proms 2026 after eight weeks, 86 concerts and 300,000 people through the doors.
## Reported by two bylines
Tom Midlane and Jamie Boys filed the piece late on 12 September 2026, updating it as reaction came in.
## Key takeaway

Dolly Parton's songs carried the Last Night of the Proms, proving a country catalogue can fill the Royal Albert Hall as easily as any anthem.