Dolly Parton embodied what a true music icon can be with her skill, music, songs, personality, and philanthropy. In the unfortunate event of her passing on August 25 in Nashville at the age of 80, Jerry Jones, the general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, offered a deeply emotional tribute to the ‘Queen of Country’. 

Jones was asked about Parton just as the Cowboys completed their first practice at The Star in Frisco after their training camp ended in Oxnard, California. Jerry Jones set football talk aside to honor Parton’s cultural legacy, character, and above all her relationship with the Cowboys organization over the years.

“She [Dolly] transcended being a great entertainer to a wonderful person, and she’s a role model to all of us,” Jones said. “We’re so thrilled that we got to have her here for our Thanksgiving Day kickoff. [I will] never forget her giving a million dollars to the Salvation Army when she came out here to kick off the National Red Kettle Campaign.”

The bond the two shared together was perhaps most on display during the Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show in 2023.

“Truly one of the great role models of our country. So, we’re all going to miss Dolly, but thank goodness we’ve got a lot of memories and all the everything she left behind. Her songs and her work. So we’ll get to all remember what a great person [she was],” Jerry Jones expressed his tribute to Dolly to the reporters in Frisco.

For Jerry Jones, Parton was far more than a legendary singer with dozens of hit records and multiple Grammy awards (11 to be exact, along with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement award and over 50 Grammy nominations). She also holds a Guinness World Record for the Most Grammy nominations for a female country artist.

Jerry Jones actually goes a long way back with Dolly’s career. In the 1960’s his parents lived in Springfield, Missouri. Jones has practically witnessed the rise of Dolly Parton from a country singer to being at the top of the globe’s music pyramid. 

That mutual bond also revolved around philanthropy and work for charity. For over 27 years, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation has partnered with The Salvation Army during Thanksgiving, raising billions nationally. 

Dolly Parton immediately bought into that mission and cemented a deep, lasting respect between herself and the entire Jones family. Despite her ever-busy schedule, everything finally clicked in May 2023 at the ACM Awards inside The Star in Frisco for Dolly Parton. 

Cowboys Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones pitched Parton backstage, timing the appearance with her new Rockstar album release. 

On Thanksgiving Day in 2023, the then-77-year-old superstar shocked fans by stepping out in the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders uniform for the Cowboys vs. Commanders game at halftime. Singing hits like “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and Queen classics. She performed before a humongous 41.7 million TV viewers. This marked the NFL’s most-watched regular-season broadcast that entire year. 

CBS play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz celebrated Parton on-air as an “American Treasure.” Meanwhile, former Cowboys QB Tony Romo just couldn’t stop talking about Dolly Parton’s outfit and her performance! He was awestruck by her performance, and that’s everything you need to know about Dolly Parton’s captivating talent and skill on the stage. 

The $1 million USD donation that Jerry Jones referred to happened right after this performance. Parton capped off the show by donating $1 million out of her own purse directly to the Red Kettle Campaign as Dallas crushed Washington 45-10. 

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better day with the Cowboys than today,” an ecstatic Jerry Jones told reporters after the game.

He even compared that experience to the Cowboys’ Super Bowl wins. Dolly Parton may no longer be with us; however, as Jerry Jones rightly pointed out, her musical legacy and her memories will far outlive her physical form.