Sabrina Carpenter has always cited Dolly Parton as a major influence, sharing how much the country legend’s sound and style shaped her own career. When she released the deluxe version of her album Short n’ Sweet, fans were thrilled to see that a reworked version of her song “Please Please Please” featured the hero who had inspired her so much.
On Tuesday, Carpenter mourned the loss of Parton, who died at the age of 80, and revisited the memories they made while working on “Please Please Please.” She shared several pictures from the set of the Thelma & Louise-themed music video they shot, along with a heartfelt caption remembering that first encounter: “oh dolly 💔 the only thing i could say after we first met was ‘she really is an angel walking the earth’ and ‘we look like we could be sisters!’ she wrote.
She continued, “i will cherish our laughter and conversations and i will keep your wisdom, your playful outlook on life, and perfect sense of humor in my pocket for the rainy days. there will never be another you and how lucky are we all to have experienced your singular magic as well as your once in a lifetime voice, songs, and heart. your light will be something the world will search forever to find again 🦋🦋🦋 i will always love you.”
Parton spoke to Rolling Stone when Carpenter appeared on the cover of the June 2025 issue of the magazine and described how well she felt their vocals meshed on the track. “Our voices are very similar,” Parton said. “I can’t tell sometimes which part’s her and which part’s me. And we look like relatives. She looks like she could be my little sister. We’re little women, doing big things.”
She also shared that her teenage nieces and nephews were huge fans of Carpenter. “When they found out that I was going to do something with [Carpenter], oh Lord, I became a big shot,” Parton said. “I was just Aunt Dolly till then.”
Parton recalled spending hours in the pickup truck during the video shoot, and said they’d be so deep in conversation that their mics had to be shut off at one point. “I bet they’re squirmin’ now, dying to know what we’re talking about!” Parton said. “There was a lot we didn’t mind, but there’s just such a thing as your privacy. I remember saying, ‘Don’t ever sacrifice your morals and your soul and your principles and your own values.’ I’ll always treasure what we did. I’ll hold her precious in my heart and in my head.”
In that same cover story, Carpenter spoke about how much she valued Parton’s clever, good-natured approach, even in the face of scrutiny and criticism: “She’s always dealt with it with wit and humor.”
