• by Tanya Gazdik , Today

An iconic New York landmark turned pink in honor of another icon who has left this earthly plane.

Dolly Parton, 80, died Tuesday in Nashville, her family announced.

“From 9:25 p.m. to 10:25 p.m., the Empire State Building's tower lights will sparkle in pink in tribute to the icon,” according to CBS News. 

It's just one of many tributes both online and in real life to the legendary musician, actress and philanthropist. 

“Parton was perhaps the only person in the United States who commanded nearly universal affection,” according to The Atlantic. “Her death today, at 80, leaves an absence that no contemporary cultural figure could dream of filling.”

Parton also fostered change. In 1986, she opened Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The theme park sees more than 3 million guests a year. Dollywood’s direct annual economic impact to the state is $1.8 billion, according to a Tennessee Department of Transportation study in 2021. Creating more than 23,000 jobs in the region, it’s Sevier County’s biggest employer. 

In 2020, she donated $1 million to help fund the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, was one of the first to get the shot and then went on to encourage others to get it.

“Her contribution, which became known as the Dolly Parton Covid-19 Research Fund, helped pay for the first part of the vaccine research, which was led by Dr. Mark Denison, a professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology at Vanderbilt,” according to The New York Times. The federal government eventually invested $1 billion in the creation and testing of the vaccine, but Dr. Denison said it was Ms. Parton’s money that funded the ‘critical’ early stages of the research.”

Parton was no stranger to marketing. She posted on her Facebook page on July 29 with a tribute to National Lipstick Day and a link to her Dolly Beauty website. 

“Parton's business acumen extended beyond the entertainment industry. Her empire included hotels, branded Duncan Hines baking kits, fragrances, beauty products, wines, apparel, merchandise and other ventures," according to USA Today. 

Parton made her final public appearance June 20 at the opening of Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, according to USA Today. 

“I’m sure some of you want to know why I wanted a truck stop," Parton said. "Well, I couldn’t leave it to beavers.” The joke was a reference to Buc-ee's gas stations, which have a beaver mascot.

President Trump posted a kind tribute to Parton Tuesday afternoon that has been widely shared.

“Admiration for her became an unshakable conviction across cultural lines,” notes The Atlantic. “One sign of Parton’s status is that even Trump is on his best behavior, treating her death with a reverence he usually reserves only for his biggest public admirers, of whom she was not one. The president ordered flags flown at half-staff for a week to mark her death. It is a fitting farewell for an artist who united Americans in a way that few people ever have or will.”