Vince Gill is paying tribute to his dear longtime friend Dolly Parton. The music legend passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80.
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Releasing a statement to People, Gill reflected on Parton's status as an icon.
"We are all crushed here at our house," Gill said. "One of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard was when Dolly and I sang that last note of 'I Will Always Love You' the year we performed it on the CMA Awards [in 1995]."
Gill and Parton won a CMA the following year for Vocal Event of the Year. Gill is far from the only celeb mourning the death of Parton. The singer touched a lot of people's lives, both in the industry and outside of it. Reba McEntire also shared a tribute to Parton and her legacy in country music.
McEntire wrote, "Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth. Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart."
Vince Gill Mourns Dolly Parton
"There will never ever be another you," McEntire continued. "We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang. Thank you, Lord, for Dolly. She's gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her. I'll never forget the first time I met you and I'll never forget our last conversation. I hold it with love in my heart. I will always love you, Reba."
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the singer's passing.
"As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven't truly felt it until now," he said, adding, "It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens."
