Dolly Parton mourns the loss of her uncle Billy Earl Owens. The country music songwriter passed away on April 7 at the age of 85.
In a moving speech of praise posted on her website, the ‘9 to 5’ singer calls Owens ‘beloved’ and admits that the world without him would have no Dolly.
“I lost my beloved Uncle Bill Owens. I knew my heart would break if he passed, and it did. I would start this eulogy by saying I would not be here if he were not there,” Parton began.
“He was there … there in my young years to encourage me to keep playing my guitar, keep writing my songs, keep practicing my singing. And he was there around me to help build confidence on the stage where he always stood behind me or near me with his big, oil-red Gretsch guitar, ”she added.
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The 75-year-old music and culture icon maintained that it was Owens who took her back and forth to Nashville, Tennessee, led her to local gigs, got Parton her first job, and walked the streets with me. , to knock on my door for labels or publishing companies. ‘
“It’s really hard to say or to know for sure what you owe everything for your success,” the actress “Heartstrings” said. “But I can definitely tell you that I owe Uncle Billy an awful lot,” she wrote, adding that he was “so many things.”
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Parton said her late uncle loved music and that the couple had written several songs together over the years.
‘The biggest one is’ Set it off until tomorrow’. We won our first major award at the one in 1966. It was the BMI song of the year, “Parton reflected.
In addition, Owens wrote songs recorded by Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs and Porter Wagoner.
Dolly Parton said her late uncle, Bill Owens, loved music and that the couple had written several songs together over the years.
(Photo by Wade Payne / Invision / AP, file)
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The continental superstar often praised Owens insignificantly in her approach to music and business for the way he mysteriously moved behind the scenes and to the surprise of many of their family members.
They “do not even know all the wonderful things Uncle Bill has done through his life behind the scenes,” Parton said. “But the greatest thing he ever did for me was to help me make my dreams come true and for that I will be eternally grateful.”
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“I’m sure Uncle Bill’s friends, fans, his wife Sandy, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will join me when I say we will always love you. Rest in peace, Uncle Bill,” Parton concluded.
Owens’ death comes less than three months after Parton’s brother, Randy Parton, died in January after a battle with cancer. He was 67.
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“My family and I mourn his loss, but we know he is in a better place than we are at present,” Parton wrote at the time. “We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God and that he is with members of the family who have gone before and welcomed him with joy and open arms.”
Associated Press contributed to this report