Jack White covers Jolene onstage at London’s Eventim Apollo on 25 August, just hours after news broke of Dolly Parton’s death at the age of 80. It was an unplanned act of grief from a Nashville neighbour, and it landed exactly as you’d expect: heavy, raw, and quietly devastating.
A song left alone since 2007
Parton’s passing was announced only a few hours before White took to the stage in Hammersmith. Before the show, White posted a photo of Parton on Instagram with the caption ‘Instant Sainthood’. Then he walked out and played the song.
According to Setlist FM, White had not performed Jolene live since 2007, making the decision all the more pointed. The White Stripes originally covered the 1973 single in 2000 as a B-side, and later released it as a live single in 2004. To pull it out now, on this night, in London, felt less like a set-list choice and more like a public act of mourning.
White also lives in Nashville, the same city where Parton spent so much of her life and career. That shared geography lent the tribute something personal beyond the usual rock-star-pays-respects routine.
The circumstances of Parton’s death
Parton’s estate confirmed that she had been diagnosed with cancer prior to her death. According to Today, she died at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, surrounded by loved ones. She was 80 years old.
Her death came less than six months after another loss. Carl Thomas Dean, her husband of nearly six decades, died on 3 March 2025 in Nashville at the age of 82. The couple had been married since 1966. The two losses, so close together, give the outpouring of grief from the music world an added weight.
Third Man Records and the wider tribute
White’s record label Third Man Records also paid its respects in an Instagram post. ‘Dolly’s legacy goes far beyond the music,’ the caption read. ‘For decades, she’s used her voice, her success, and her heart to make a difference. From the Imagination Library putting millions of books into children’s hands to supporting education, literacy, disaster relief, and communities in need. An incredible artist, philanthropist, advocate, and human being. Thank you, Dolly, for a lifetime of giving back and making the world a little brighter. Rest in peace.’
The tributes came from across the industry. Paul McCartney posted that ‘her songwriting, her singing, and her philanthropy were unrivaled in the world of country music,’ calling her ‘the best’ and adding that ‘it is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly.’ Elton John called her ‘a giant of an artist, unique and irreplaceable, with the kindest heart.’ Mick Jagger wrote that ‘she brought so many people together’ and that ‘we will all miss her so much.’
Garbage offered one of the more striking statements: ‘The Queen of light itself. A one of one. A once in a lifetime. A sparkling rhinestone for all eternity. A true gift to humanity and the very best of us. Rest in peace sweet Dolly. Thank you for sharing your power, wisdom and spectacular song with us all. We will always love you.’
Jack White covers Jolene: why it matters
Covers can be cheap. A famous song, an emotional moment, a crowd that already knows every word. Easy. But Jack White covering Jolene on this particular night carried something different. The song is a plea. It is about fear of loss, about something irreplaceable being taken away. Performed the night Dolly Parton died, in front of a London crowd who had only just heard the news, it became something else entirely.
White hadn’t played Jolene live in eighteen years. He chose to play it now. That decision says more than any Instagram caption could.
Parton’s Imagination Library programme, which the Third Man post referenced, has put millions of books into children’s hands globally. Her philanthropy was as much a part of her public identity as any song. The fact that a rock label’s tribute led with that, rather than the music, is a measure of the scale of what has been lost.
Parton died at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, the city she had called home for most of her life, surrounded by the people who loved her.
