Dolly Parton is sharing some wisdom with Kelly Clarkson on how to cope with loss.
The original “American Idol’s” ex-husband and father of her two children, Brandon Blackstock, died August 7 after a three-year-long battle with melanoma.
Now country icon Dolly Parton is offering advice on handling grief from personal experience. Dolly lost her husband of nearly 60-years in March.
Dolly told “Entertainment Tonight” that her best advice for Kelly is, “I think you just have to be grateful for the years that you’ve had with someone and you just try to remember the very best of all that. Take their energy that they have given you … and kinda just recycle that and let that become a part of you.”
Dolly said it also helps to remember that “they’re in a better place than we are these days.”
Dolly Parton Says She Hasn’t Had a Chance to Reach Out to Kelly Clarkson
While Dolly Parton says she has not spoken to Kelly Clarkson since Blackstock’s death, she says she will reach out soon.
Dolly has been a long-time supporter of Kelly, often reaching out to offer encouragement.
In July, a Yahoo article quoted a source close to Dolly who said the “Jolene” singer was concerned about Kelly.
The source said, “Kelly’s in a bad place right now. Everyone can see that, and Dolly is very worried for her and trying to get to the bottom of what’s wrong.”
The insider went on, “She’s heard enough from mutual friends about how Kelly’s acting erratic and weepy, and it’s upsetting her. Dolly’s always known Kelly to be steady as she goes.”
Of course now Dolly and everyone else knows that Kelly was quietly facing Brandon Blackstock’s terminal illness. The singer has been trying to support her young children 11-year-old River Rose and 9-year-old Remi while their father battled grave health problems.
Even before Dolly know the gavity of Kelly’s situation, she was reaching out to the “Since U Been Gone” singer offering emotional support.
“Dolly’s calling and checking in with Kelly and offering support. She wants to get together and have a talk, just the two of them, without any interruptions,” the insider reported. “Dolly’s asking Kelly to come over whenever she’s got the time.
Dolly even reportedly invited her to bring her kids to Dolly’s Nashville home and to her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood.
Dolly Parton & Kelly Clarkson Are Managing Las Vegas Residencies
Dolly Parton has also offered Kelly Clarkson more light-hearted advice in the past.
When Kelly put up a post on her Instagram account asking for fans help, Dolly jumped right in.
It started with Kelly putting up a picture of the marquee in front of Caesars Palace. It features an advertisement for Dolly Parton’s mini-residency there this coming December.
And right underneath is an ad for Kelly Clarkson’s ongoing residency. In the caption, Kelly wrote, “I think this is a sign I should cover a Dolly song at one of my shows…. but which song?”
While plenty of fans weighed in with suggestions, one comment almost certainly caught Kelly’s attention the most.
And that’s the one by Dolly herself! The “Jolene” singer wrote, “Hey Kelly, I think you should sing ‘I Will Always Love You’ because I think you do one of the best versions of that song that I have ever heard… Whitney and I would both be proud….”
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Kelly Clarkson Gets Touching Message From Dolly Parton