Freddie O'Connell

“She's given Nashville -- and the world -- story and song and done so in a way that she remained universally beloved in challenging times.”

Freddie O'Connell · said 2026-08-25 · reported 2026-08-26

O'Connell praised Parton's lasting cultural impact on Nashville and the world in a statement following her death.

“While Nashville wasn't her original home, she helped change it forever with an incredible, unprecedented thing: filling a little library in every childcare center in the city with books from her Imagination Library,”

Freddie O'Connell · said 2026-08-25 · reported 2026-08-26

Nashville's mayor Freddie O'Connell said in a statement Tuesday that Parton helped change Nashville forever through her Imagination Library program.