Dolly Parton was the guest of honor at Jeff Bezos’ most recent party. The beloved country singer was serenaded by Jewel, who surprised her when she performed “Jolene,” one of Parton’s biggest hits.
© GettyImagesPage Six reports that before her performance, Jewel talked about Parton and her career, and how influential they were in her life. “She was just up there singing with her guitar and talked about what an inspiration Dolly was to her as a singer/songwriter. It was just beautiful. Everybody was emotional,” said an insider.
Bezos’ party was hosted in order to celebrate this year’s recipients of the “Portrait of a Nation” series by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Parton was a part of this year’s seven recipients, with Jewel, a close friend of Bezos and his partner Lauren Sanchez, volunteering to sing in her honor.
Earlier this month, Parton was the recipient of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award, which honors Parton’s philanthropic work with a prize of $100 million. “Jeff [Bezos] and I are so proud to share that we have a new Bezos Courage and Civility Award winner — a woman who gives with her heart and leads with love and compassion in every aspect of her work,” wrote Sanchez on Instagram, where she shared a video of Parton accepting the award. “We can’t wait to see all the good that you’re going to do with this $100 million award, @DollyParton.”
In response, Parton shared a message on Twitter. “I try to put my money where my heart is. I will do my best to do good things with this money,” she wrote. “Thank you @JeffBezos #LaurenSanchez”
Previous recipients of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award include Chef José Andrés and CNN contributor Van Jones.
