Concert promoter recalls Dolly Parton's Pittsburgh shows: "One of a kind"
A legendary concert promoter in Pittsburgh is remembering Dolly Parton as "one of a kind" following her death on Tuesday. The beloved country music singer died at age 80 after a brief cancer battle.
"I'm still in shock over her passing," longtime concert promoter Rich Engler, who ran Pittsburgh-based DiCesare-Engler Productions, told KDKA-TV.
Engler spent Tuesday looking back on the times he got Parton to perform in Pittsburgh.
"I think the first one was in 1978 at the Stanley Theatre," he said. "Of course, my partner and I owned the theater, and she was a superstar already and wonderful. And then I brought her back again in '79 at the Stanley Theatre. Then in 1992, I had her at the IC Light Amphitheater. I think she came back in 2008, and I'm not sure if that was my show or not. I was trying to look back."
Engler spent over an hour on Tuesday sifting through photos searching for a special memory with Parton from her visit in 1978. He said she invited him and his family to the North Hills Holiday Inn, where she was staying, for some coffee. He remembers her being sweet with his then-2-year-old daughter, Ashley.
"She was carrying Ashley around in her arms, holding her up like this; Ashley was laughing. It was just a really touching time for us to be one, with Dolly, and the fact that she was so emotional and so happy with our daughter. It was quite a moment and a terrific memory for us," Engler said.
"I have all these pictures, and I can't find them now. Going through all my archives and can't find them, but they're somewhere," he added.
Engler said even in her early days of stardom, Parton was always kind and pleasant.
"She was not like a superstar. She had no big demands. Everything was kind of normal, which was refreshing because all these acts, they want this, they want that. She wanted nothing. She was just fun and pleasurable as a person," he said.
In her 60-year career, the much-adored country music legend gave the world 3,000 songs, including hits like "Jolene," "I Will Always Love You," and "9 to 5."
Parton leaves behind an amazing legacy as a singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist and even creator of a theme park. Her caring, upbeat and vibrant personality will always be remembered.
"Genuine in her music and her feelings and her emotions, and it showed in her music. She's one of a kind," Engler said.
Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1995. It's a childhood literacy program that mails free books to children every month. It has provided more than 260 million books to children worldwide.
The city of Pittsburgh said in a statement that "Dolly Parton has left an incredible legacy across the world for her music, her philanthropy and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Thanks to her generosity and light, 306,352 free books have been delivered to families across Pittsburgh."
The Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, which owns the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee and Kennywood in West Mifflin, said in part that "Dolly's heart was as vast as the mountains she cherished, and her compassion knew no bounds."
