Eminem paid tribute to Dolly Parton following news of her death, sharing a personal letter she once wrote him despite the two never having met in person.
The rapper, born Marshall Mathers, posted the note on social media Wednesday, revealing it was written after he and Parton were both inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
“I’m sorry we never got a chance to meet, but getting this note from Dolly really had an impact on me,” Eminem wrote.
“She definitely didn’t have to take the time to do it. Even for a kid who mostly listened to rap music, she was an icon. A superstar in every sense. Rest easy Dolly. And thank you for the kind words.”
In the letter itself, addressed to “Marshall (Eminem),” Parton congratulated him on his induction and praised his performance that night, writing that his set was “amazing and everybody said so,” and adding, “Even though I don’t know a lot about rap music, I’ve come to know that you are the very best at it.”
She went on to describe a sense of connection she felt toward him despite their different genres, “I hope what I have to say will not seem weird or strange to you but I have always felt some unexplained connection to you like I know you somehow.”
Parton closed the note encouraging him to keep creating, writing that he touches people “in ways you don’t even know,” and signed it, “With love & respect, Dolly Parton.”
Eminem was among a wide range of hip-hop artists who publicly mourned Parton’s passing.
Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav called her “one of the greatest musical and American icons” who “championed children, education, kindness and the overall goodness of human race,” while rapper Denzel Curry wrote simply, “Sleep Well Dolly and Thank You.”
Parton and Eminem were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame together in 2022, alongside Carly Simon, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, and Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, an honour Parton had initially tried to decline, writing at the time of her nomination that she didn’t feel she’d earned the distinction as a rock artist.
