\n<\/p>\n
\u200b<\/p>\n
\nNatalie Grant remembered Dolly Parton as an American icon whose warmth and faith were never an act.<\/p>\n
The Christian singer recalled first meeting Parton while opening Dollywood\u2019s season, when the country star asked if she could join Grant onstage to sing. \u201cI\u2019m at a park that\u2019s named after you, of course you could come,\u201d Grant said on “Fox & Friends,” laughing.<\/p>\n
The pair later recorded \u201cStep by Step,\u201d the song Whitney Houston famously recorded for \u201cThe Preacher\u2019s Wife\u201d soundtrack. Grant said Parton initially had to decline because of her own busy recording schedule \u2014 but changed her mind weeks later after the song stayed with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI received a letter and I\u2019ll never forget it, on letterhead that had pink Dolly just as it would across the top,\u201d Grant said. \u201cNatalie, I just, I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve found someone to sing this song with you yet, but this song just keeps ringing and calling me back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nGrant said the personal note was a testament to Parton\u2019s \u201cauthentic kindness\u201d and \u201cgenuine generosity,\u201d qualities she said marked the singer\u2019s life just as much as her music did.<\/p>\n
\u201cDolly is one of the greatest icons America has ever produced,\u201d Grant said. \u201cBut for me, what marked my life was what her life was marked by, and that was authentic kindness, genuine generosity and a woman who really loved Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parton\u2019s family confirmed to Fox News Digital that she died after a brief battle with cancer. Grant said the singer\u2019s ability to bring people together made the loss feel especially profound.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sky was darker because we lost our brightest star,\u201d Grant said. \u201cShe knew how to unite people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant remembered seeing that generosity firsthand backstage at Dollywood, where she said Parton knew the names of roughly 25 employees and asked about their families.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShe genuinely loves people,\u201d Grant said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t a persona, this isn\u2019t an act. She is a genuine lover of people, and we all could learn a little something from Dolly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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