{"id":259951,"date":"2026-08-27T12:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T12:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/27\/dolly-parton-tim-curry-mourned-as-lgbtq-icons\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T12:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T12:43:07","slug":"dolly-parton-tim-curry-mourned-as-lgbtq-icons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/27\/dolly-parton-tim-curry-mourned-as-lgbtq-icons\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolly Parton &#038; Tim Curry Mourned as LGBTQ+ Icons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The world is in shock at the loss of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/dolly-parton-cancer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dolly Parton<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/tim-curry-cause-of-death-rocky-horror-home-alone-2-star-was-80\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tim Curry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Both of these talented, widely beloved icons entertained generations. Both were 80.<\/p>\n<p>And, though the news came at different times, they both died on the same day.<\/p>\n<p>Because both were also LGBTQ+ icons, some communities are taking these losses extra hard.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"747\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0827_dollyparton_01-1024x747.jpg\" alt=\"Dolly Parton at the GLAAD Awards in 2011.\" class=\"wp-image-561962 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0827_dollyparton_01-1024x747.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0827_dollyparton_01-300x219.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0827_dollyparton_01-768x560.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0827_dollyparton_01-2048x1494.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0827_dollyparton_01-960x700.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0827_dollyparton_01-1080x788.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0827_dollyparton_01-1200x875.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0827_dollyparton_01-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Singer Dolly Parton speaks onstage at the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 10, 2011.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo Credit: Kevin Winter\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dolly-parton-showed-that-kindness-is-what-you-do\">Dolly Parton showed that kindness is what you do<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to being a talented entertainer, Dolly Parton was a staunch supporter of workers and unions.<\/p>\n<p>Her Imagination Library helped boost child literacy \u2014 which extended to mailing braille books to blind children.<\/p>\n<p>Dolly\u2019s financial support for her hometown saw the high school dropout rate plummet from 30% to 6%.<\/p>\n<p>She built up a 9-figure fortune. She <em>could<\/em> have become a billionaire if she\u2019d cared more about numbers than she did about people, but she chose to make the world a better place instead of pointlessly hoarding wealth.<\/p>\n<p>There are millions of people who love Dolly for all of this and more. But, for the LGBTQ+ community, there are still <em>more<\/em> reasons to mourn the loss of this national treasure.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"thg-ytf\" data-ytid=\"NVsZv-aiBA4\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/NVsZv-aiBA4\/hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Dolly Parton remembered by LGBTQ+ community for her advocacy, kindness\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/NVsZv-aiBA4\/hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Dolly Parton remembered by LGBTQ+ community for her advocacy, kindness\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" class=\"lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><button type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Play video: Dolly Parton remembered by LGBTQ+ community for her advocacy, kindness\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"68\" height=\"48\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M66.5 7.7a8 8 0 0 0-5.6-5.7C56 .7 34 .7 34 .7s-22 0-26.9 1.3A8 8 0 0 0 1.5 7.7 83 83 0 0 0 .2 24a83 83 0 0 0 1.3 16.3 8 8 0 0 0 5.6 5.7C12 47.3 34 47.3 34 47.3s22 0 26.9-1.3a8 8 0 0 0 5.6-5.7A83 83 0 0 0 67.8 24a83 83 0 0 0-1.3-16.3z\" fill=\"#f00\"\/><path d=\"M27 34l18-10-18-10z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>For decades, Dolly Parton spoke very openly about her love for gay friends \u2014 particularly Lily Tomlin, with whom she worked multiple times.<\/p>\n<p>In the 2010s, many public figures and organizations did this \u2014 either because it was safe to do, or to farm for positive PR, or both. Dolly was doing this amidst the rank homophobia of the \u201980s and \u201990s.<\/p>\n<p>Following her tragic passing on Tuesday, the world has also seen a series of anecdotes in which transgender folks \u2014 especially women \u2014 share stories of Dolly directly or indirectly helping to pay for their top surgeries.<\/p>\n<p>(And yes, some have made the obvious joke that it seems appropriate for the famously busty musician to be helping other women to fill out their shirts.)<\/p>\n<p>People also uncovered an article about Jason, the trans man who was Dolly\u2019s limo driver in Los Angeles back in the 1980s. Or, more recently, when Dolly defended trans folks\u2019 right to use the bathrooms and generally exist in public during that first failed wave of concocting a bigoted narrative to win elections.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:mlmouohgzbjofidukcp4pxf2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mtwumi7uyc2e\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreibcoui7hdsu4oadkiekzng245akpp7ikvlel76wvbd2jsfkuznspu\" data-bluesky-embed-color-mode=\"dark\">\n<p lang=\"en\">Didn&#8217;t know this until today but Dolly Parton had a transsexual man named Jason Pirro work as her Hollywood chauffeur in the 1980s, per an interview he gave to The Sun in 1990. &#8220;Dolly has been good to me\u2026Dolly knows all about me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:mlmouohgzbjofidukcp4pxf2\/post\/3mtwumi7uyc2e?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[image or embed]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gillian Branstetter (<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:mlmouohgzbjofidukcp4pxf2?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@gbbranstetter.bsky.social<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:mlmouohgzbjofidukcp4pxf2\/post\/3mtwumi7uyc2e?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 25, 2026 at 6:30 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tim-curry-is-one-of-the-most-important-figures-in-entertainment-media-history\">Tim Curry is one of the most important figures in entertainment media history<\/h2>\n<p>The same day that the world lost Dolly Parton, we also lost pop culture icon Tim Curry.<\/p>\n<p>An actor of television and film, who lent his voice to animation and video games for decades, he left an indelible imprint upon arts and culture.<\/p>\n<p>Whether our first exposure to him was as Nigel Thornberry or Captain Hook or in <em>Muppet\u2019s Treasure Island<\/em> or <em>Dragon Age: Origins<\/em> or <em>Legend <\/em>or <em>It<\/em>, we have all seen him. We have all heard his voice.<\/p>\n<p>His most iconic role is indisputably that of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in <em>The Rocky Horror Picture Show<\/em>. As such, he has been an LGBTQ+ icon since the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>Tim Curry didn\u2019t have a theme park with inclusive bathrooms or a famous pansexual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/miley-cyrus-predicted-dolly-partons-death-in-eerie-interview-fans-believe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">goddaughter<\/a>. His most legendary role (yes, more iconic than in <em>Legend<\/em>) was a symbol for generations. A symbol and a bit of a right of passage.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-theme=\"dark\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My friend said its &#8220;Gay 9\/11&#8221; in a group chat to which my other friend responded with this image. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vBzqw7rCBA\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/vBzqw7rCBA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Undead Media VHS (@undeadmedia_) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/undeadmedia_\/status\/2092698733544653025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\">August 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Following Dolly Parton\u2019s passing, some have tried to brand her as \u201cneutral\u201d in America\u2019s various culture wars.<\/p>\n<p>That is sort of true. She never fired an opening salvo or attempted to pick fights. She also turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom multiple times \u2014 in an effort to avoid appearing partisan.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to Dolly\u2019s own choices, sure, she avoided fights. But when she had gay, bi, and trans folks in her life and loved and supported them, including when they were attacked by malicious cultural forces. That\u2019s not neutral.<\/p>\n<p>Whether she was redirecting \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d royalties to the Black community or proudly supporting unions or helping hundreds of thousands of children learn to read, Dolly prioritized kindness and doing the right thing. Now, she and Tim Curry are both gone.<\/p>\n<p>Without saying that we\u2019re superstitious, we will spend the rest of the week deeply anxious about other LGBTQ+ icons in the entertainment industry. Particularly those who are precisely 80 years old, it seems.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/dolly-parton-tim-curry-lgbtq-icons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 3 minutes The world is in shock at the loss of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Both of these talented, widely beloved icons entertained generations. Both were 80. And, though the news came at different times, they both died on the same day. Because both were also LGBTQ+ icons, some communities are taking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":259952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-259951","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259951\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}