Sir Barry Gibb believes Dolly Parton was "the greatest".

The Bee Gees singer remembered the late country legend - who died on Tuesday (25.08.26) at the age of 80 - as a "gigantic talent" and "unreachable artist" in a tribute shared to Instagram alongside photos of them in the recording studio.

Barry - who wrote Islands in the Stream, Dolly and Kenny Rogers' 1983 hit, with his brothers and Bee Gees bandmates, the late Robin and Maurice Gibb - wrote: "Dolly was next to me at the microphone and we were reminiscing about when we made Islands in the Stream amongst other memories. She suddenly turned to me and said, 'Where we are standing right now is where I wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You.

"This is how I remember Dolly, a gigantic talent possessed by an artist who was unreachable. Her songs were the greatest and she was the greatest, no matter what, she will live on. Whenever she entered a room she sparkled and I believe she always will.

"I send my deepest love and regards to her family. We will all miss you Dolly."

Meanwhile, Dolly's final collaborator, Belles, reflected on the advice she received from the late star when they worked together on her sons Son of Jolene.

She told People magazine: "[Dolly gave pieces of advice] that have really, really stuck with me.

"[She told me to] follow my God gut. Which I love ... and I literally say that to myself almost every day when I'm making decisions.

"And then she told me there's a lot of chances in this world, so don't sacrifice your character or your beliefs for a chance because there will be another one...

"She was just so kind to me and just her generosity of sharing her spirit and her voice and her everything with me. I'm just literally a girl from Nebraska that grew up idolising Dolly.

"And to have her take that chance on me and believe in the song and believe in me so much, I mean, it is totally and completely changed my life. And she taught me to really believe in myself too."

The 27-year-old singer initially thought the news Dolly had died following a brief battle with cancer was a "joke".

She said: "I was on the radio talking about how much I love Dolly and how much this collab meant to me for my show in Portland when the news broke.

"I literally thought it was a joke. I couldn't believe it."