Harry Styles gave fans a powerful surprise during his latest Madison Square Garden concert.
The singer turned the arena’s attention towards Dolly Parton, who had inspired his own career. The moment came one day after Dolly Parton’s death at the age of 80.
Her representatives told People that the country music star died after a “brief battle with cancer”.
Addressing the New York crowd on Wednesday (26 August), Harry thanked the musicians who had influenced him.
According to People, he told cheering fans: “I wanna say a proper ‘Thank you’ to all the musicians over the years that’ve inspired me. Dolly, we love you, thank you so much.”
Harry Styles fills Madison Square Garden with lights for Dolly Parton
Dolly’s 1974 hit I Will Always Love You began playing moments after Harry finished speaking.
The crowd then became the centre of the performance. Harry invited everyone to dance while fans sang and held up their lit mobile phones.
The lights shone across Madison Square Garden as the song echoed through the venue.
The choice of song carried particular weight after Harry had described Dolly as one of his inspirations. It also allowed the audience to take the lead during the deeply personal tribute.
Dolly released I Will Always Love You in 1974. It became one of the defining songs of her career.
Her catalogue also included enduring favourites such as Jolene and 9 To 5. Across her career, Dolly sold more than 160 million albums worldwide.
Harry Styles joins stars paying tribute to Dolly Parton
Harry was not the only musician to honour Dolly with I Will Always Love You that evening.
John Mayer chose the same ballad during a SiriusXM performance at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett. John played it on guitar before moving into Gravity.
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus were also among the stars who remembered Dolly. The singer’s death prompted a wave of emotional tributes from major showbiz names.
Dolly’s nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death through a video shared on her Instagram account. He said she had asked him years earlier to make the announcement when the time came.
Only days before her death, Dolly had spoken about her determination to continue working. She told People on 21 August: “Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’!”
That drive extended beyond her music. Dolly supported children’s literacy through her Imagination Library, which sends books to young children.
Read more: Dolly Parton’s final resting place ‘revealed’ alongside her husband Carl Dean
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