The late singer remembered the “beautiful” dress that “busted” down the middle during a 2023 podcast appearance
Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Dolly Parton recalled the moment her “beautiful” dress “busted” open at the 1978 CMA Awards during a 2023 podcast appearance
- “I was hoping I wouldn’t win because I busted the front out of it,” she said as she accepted the award for Entertainer of the Year
- The legendary singer died on Aug. 25 at age 80
Dolly Parton made the best out of a wardrobe malfunction at the 1978 CMA Awards.
In a clip from the ceremony, shared by the CMAs following Parton’s death on Tuesday, Aug. 25, the country star accepted the award for Entertainer of the Year. When the then 32-year-old made her way to the stage, she revealed that she had suffered an outfit snafu just a few moments earlier.
“I had this dress made in case I won, and about five minutes ago, I was hoping I wouldn’t win because I busted the front out of it,” Parton said of the flowing pink and metallic ensemble. She then joked, “My daddy said that’s what I got for putting 50 lbs. of mud in a 5 lb. bag.”
The “I Will Always Love You” singer went on to share her gratitude, saying, “Everything’s been good, and I had a whole bunch of stuff that I thought I might say, but I guess I’ll just say thank you and I do love you. Thank you.”
She ended by thanking Marianne Gordon, the then-wife of Kenny Rogers, who let the country icon borrow her fur stole to cover up her dress. “Thank you for your coat, Marianne,” she said.
Credit: CMA/Instagram
Parton looked back on the moment during a 2023 episode of the Biscuits & Jam podcast.
“I remember one time I wore this beautiful dress… it was made out of really, really thin fabric. And it didn’t stretch much, and it was silver on one side and gold on the other,” the singer recalled. “And I wore it to an awards show where I won an award… I was sitting right beside them [Rogers and Gordon], and I started to get up and my dress just busted. Well I started to tear right down the middle.”
Parton continued, “So I just grabbed her stole and walked up on the stage, and was holding it when I got my award…I said, ‘I know this don’t go with my dress.’ Or something like that. I said, ‘but I busted my dress.’ And like my daddy would say, ‘that’s what you get trying to put 15 lbs. of mud in a 5 lb. bag,’ or something like that.”
Credit: AP Photo
“So I’ve had a few little malfunctions, but for me, I can’t hardly get ‘em too tight,” she added. “Sometimes when I’m singing though, if they get too tight right in the waist, from where you have to sing…so I have to be kinda careful of that.”
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Parton died on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at age 80. A rep for the “Jolene” singer told PEOPLE that she died following a “brief battle with cancer.” The type of cancer was not disclosed.
Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the news in an Instagram video the same day.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
Parton was laid to rest during a private service attended only by immediate family on Friday, Aug. 28, according to her great-niece, Lainey Parton.
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