Post Malone took a heartfelt moment during his Canadian festival set to remember Dolly Parton, raising a beer in honor of the country music legend and reflecting on the kindness she showed him.
Nearly a week after Dolly’s death, the loss was still clearly weighing heavily on the country music community.
Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80 in Nashville, Tennessee, following what her representative described as a brief battle with cancer. The specific type of cancer was not disclosed.
The singer had previously spoken publicly about some of her health struggles in recent months, including severe kidney stones, although the full extent of her condition was not known until after her death.
Dolly’s family later announced that, in accordance with her wishes, she would have a small private funeral attended by immediate family.
Her nephew also told TMZ that she would be laid to rest wearing her signature high heels and a comfortable cotton dress.
Parton was buried Friday at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, where she was laid to rest beside her late husband, Carl Dean.
Since her death, tributes have poured in from across the music world.
Country stars including George Strait, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw and Ella Langley have all shared memories and tributes to the legendary singer, while countless other artists have honored her music onstage.
At the Grand Ole Opry, artists including Carly Pearce, Jelly Roll, Kathy Mattea, Ketch Secor, Molly Tuttle and others performed some of Dolly’s best-known songs.
Brad Paisley became emotional during his first performance of “When I Get To Where I’m Going” without Dolly, while Chris Stapleton delivered a powerful rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”
Other artists, including Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker, Ella Langley and Carrie Underwood, have also incorporated Dolly’s songs into their recent performances.
Then, during YQM Country Fest in Canada, Post Malone found his own way to honor the woman he had briefly but meaningfully worked with.
Wearing a Dolly Parton T-shirt, Post paused during his set to speak about his memories of recording with her and the extraordinary generosity she showed him.
The pair had previously collaborated on “Have the Heart,” which appeared on Post’s 2024 country album F-1 Trillion alongside contributions from a number of country legends.
@dpostygirl POST MALONE PAYS TRIBUTE TO DOLLY PARTON. @Post Malone @Dolly Parton #postmalone #posty #dolly #dollyparton #ripdolly ♬ original sound – DPostygirl
Despite having known Dolly for only a relatively short time, Post made it clear that her impact on him had been enormous.
“In the brief time that I’ve known her, she’s shown me so much kindness and so much generosity to me,” he told the crowd.
He then reflected on the much wider influence Dolly had throughout her extraordinary career.
“She’s changed and impacted so many people’s lives for the absolute better,” Post said.
He then raised his drink and called for a toast to the late superstar.
“I just wanted to raise a massive toast to the absolutely legendary Dolly Parton,” he told the crowd.
The audience responded with a huge “Dolly!” chant.
Post continued by thanking Parton for inspiring generations of people throughout her six-decade career.
“We’re gonna miss her so very, very much,” he said, before adding that she had inspired “millions and millions, if not a billion” people.
It was a simple but deeply personal tribute from an artist who had only recently had the opportunity to share a recording studio with Dolly.
And as tributes continue to pour in from musicians around the world, one sentiment has been repeated again and again: Dolly Parton was truly one of a kind.
Her songs, generosity and unmistakable personality touched generations of fans and fellow artists alike — and her influence is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
For Post Malone, raising a beer in her honor was his way of saying thank you.
And perhaps there was no better song to revisit afterward than the one they made together: “Have the Heart.”