The crowd rose to greet a legend — some 13,000 fans cheering in approval at the mere sight of a woman who had given them so much over the years.

“What a nice welcome,” Dolly Parton replied to the fans who just keep right applauding at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View. “Aww, listen to you. I ain’t all that.”

That scene occurred 10 years ago — on Sept. 24, 2016 — yet a similar one could have taken place at practically any point over the last 50-plus years of Parton’s legendary and transcendent career.

Yes, despite all the different avenues she explored in the entertainment/business world over the decades, one thing remained incredibly consistent:

Everybody loves Dolly.

That statement is very purposefully made in the present tense. For, without a doubt, the public’s deep love and admiration for this country music superstar will live on long after her passing — which occurred on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 — much in the same way that it has for Elvis Presley, Prince, Marilyn Monroe and other top-tier legends from various parts of the entertainment world.

News of Parton’s death rocked through the Bay Area on Tuesday, with fans expressing great sorrow over the loss of a woman who so many felt such a deep, personal connection with.

“I feel like I’ve lost a dear family member,” says Chad Jones, a lifelong fan from San Francisco. “But I know millions of people feel the same right now.”

Parton certainly touched countless hearts over the years, having first entered the country charts in the late-”60s and then soon after finding herself invited into familes’ living rooms on a weekly basis via “The Porter Wagoner Show.”

She’d really begin cranking out the hit singles in the ’70s, with the likes of “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and, of course, “I Will Always Love You” — which later became an even bigger smash in the hands of Whitney Houston — remaining true country/pop standards to this day. Then, in the ’80s, she’s add the big screen to the mix with such box-office favorites as “9 to 5,” The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Steel Magnolias.”

Along the way, her audience kept right on growing and growing, to the point where it was hard to find anyone who wasn’t a Dolly fan.

“I found Dolly via her music and songwriting and loved her for that,” says Greg Trevizo of Castro Valley. “I came to learn she was there for everyone and all of us. Regardless if you were poor, rich, a drag queen, a cowboy or just a ‘9 to 5’ working stiff, she represented you in her songs and actions.”

Jones echoes that sentiment when he says “she was the person everyone could agree on.” And that ability to appeal to such vast array of the populace just underscores the fact that, as a performer, Parton had so very few — if any — holes in the game.

“First, there was her talent and her shine,” Jones remarks. “She was a pure, rhinestone-studded entertainer and was better than just about anyone at appealing to the widest possible audience. At the heart of it all were her songs: pure, honest, accessible and with just enough poetry and heart to let you know the kind of once-in-a-lifetime artist she was.

“Then there was her sense of humor, her kindness toward all, her philanthropy, her work ethic, her ability to channel joy and her deep sense of faith and family that seemed to ground her and connect her the countless souls who adored her around the world.”

Her philanthropic efforts included Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a free program that delivers monthly books to children from birth through age 5. The program, which was founded in 1995, officially made its Santa Clara County Library District debut in 2025. (For more information, visit https://www.sjpl.org/dolly-partons-imagination-library/.)

She was equally well known for her sense of humor. Parton had a seemingly innate knowledge of comic timing, one that was certainly on display during the shows she performed in the Bay Area over the years. She could summon up just the right mix of wit, self-effacing humor and insight, pretty much on a dime, such as when as she addressed such topics as growing up in a family that didn’t have much money.

“We had running water — if we’d run and get it,” Parton joked during that 2016 Shoreline show.

That self-effacing part of equation would particularly prove helpful on the rare occasions when Parton would swing and miss at something — such as when she made the iffy decision to cover the Led Zeppelin staple “Stairway to Heaven” on 2002’s “Halos and Horns.”

“`Stairway to Heaven’ happens to be my husband’s favorite song,” Parton explained to her fans during a concert at Toyota Pavilion (then known as Sleep Train Pavilion) in Concord on July 24, 2011. She’d then recall her husband’s reaction after he heard her version for the first time. “He said, ‘It sounds more like ‘Stairway to Hell.'”

Yet, her ability to stay active in multiple musical genres (as well as other realms of entertainment) and try different things was part of her genius. And it certainly helped her stay relevant and find whole new legions of fans — voicing a character in 2011’s wonderful children’s animated film “Gnomeo & Juliet”; recording 2019’s awe-inspiring duet “There Was Jesus” with Christian recording star Zach Williams; releasing her debut rock album, “Rockstar,” in 2023; etc.

Yet, the more she changed, the more she seemed to stay the same. It wasn’t so much that Parton conformed to a new genre/set of rules/circumstance as those things just got Dolly-ized.

“She was so genuine.” says Gregg Perloff, CEO of Berkeley’s Another Planet Entertainment. “I think that’s the word that really sticks out — genuine. She was the real deal.”

Despite her association with other genres — and even getting elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 — Parton will always be associated with country music above all other types of entertainment. And fans still talk about getting the chance the chance to see her perform at the free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival at Golden Gate Park in 2005.

“Just hearing the news that Dolly Parton has passed is hard to fathom,” Hardly Strictly Bluegrass organizers posted on Facebook. “When she came to HSB in 2005, we initiated a new stage to accommodate her production. Legend has it that the entire Castro Street Fair turned direction and headed to Golden Gate Park that afternoon.

“It was a landmark day for Hardly Strictly and her boundless energy was on display for all. Legendary does not begin to describe the enormous talent of Dolly Parton. Her songwriting reached people from every walk of life; she was a philanthropist, entertainer and icon for all music lovers. Rest in peace, Dolly.”

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