When Dolly Parton and Olivia Newton-John joined their unmistakable voices for a new recording of Dolly’s classic song “Jolene,” the result was already something special. Today, following the deaths of both much-loved performers, the duet has taken on an added poignancy — preserving on film the warmth, friendship and extraordinary talent of two artists whose music touched generations.
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Recorded before Olivia’s death in August 2022 and released posthumously in February 2023, their version of “Jolene” became Olivia Newton-John’s final recording and music video. Dolly described “Jolene” as one of her all-time favourite songs that she had written, while Olivia revealed that she had always wanted the chance to sing with Dolly.
The affection between them is clear throughout the performance. Rather than turning the famous song into a vocal contest, their voices complement one another, with Dolly’s unmistakable country sound sitting alongside Olivia’s clear, soaring vocals. The result feels less like two stars being brought together for a collaboration and more like two old friends enjoying the opportunity to make music together.
That sense of friendship makes the recording particularly moving today. Olivia died aged 73 in 2022 after living with breast cancer for many years. Four years later, in August 2026, Dolly died at the age of 80, bringing to a close a career that had spanned more than six decades.
Both artists also became famous for memorable duets. Olivia’s performance as Sandy in Grease produced enduring collaborations with John Travolta, including “You’re the One That I Want” and “Summer Nights.” Dolly, meanwhile, created one of country-pop’s best-known partnerships with Kenny Rogers on “Islands in the Stream.”
Olivia later performed “Islands in the Stream” herself alongside Barry Gibb at Australia’s Sound Relief concert in 2009. Gibb co-wrote the song with his Bee Gees bandmates and brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb, before it became a worldwide hit for Dolly and Kenny Rogers in 1983.
The Sound Relief appearance also reflected another quality Dolly and Olivia shared: a commitment to helping others. The 2009 concerts raised money following devastating Australian bushfires and floods, while Olivia spent much of her later life supporting cancer research, wellness programmes and environmental causes. In the 2020 New Year Honours, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to charity, cancer research and entertainment.
Olivia’s commitment to charitable causes remained evident until her final years. Her last live concert appearance came at Fire Fight Australia in Sydney in February 2020, a huge fundraising event for communities affected by Australia’s devastating bushfires. She joined longtime friend John Farnham on stage for “Two Strong Hearts” and later appeared during the finale of “You’re the Voice.”
Dolly leaves an equally significant philanthropic legacy. Alongside a recording career that produced classics including “Coat of Many Colors,” “9 to 5,” “I Will Always Love You” and, of course, “Jolene,” she became known for supporting education, disaster relief and medical research. Her Imagination Library, founded in 1995, grew from a programme serving children in her home county in Tennessee into an international initiative providing free books to millions of young children.
That generosity was an important part of both women’s lives, just as music was.
Looking back at their “Jolene” duet now, there is something particularly touching about seeing Dolly and Olivia together. When the recording was released in 2023, it offered fans one final performance from Olivia Newton-John and a glimpse of the friendship she shared with Dolly Parton. Following Dolly’s death, it has become something more: a lasting musical memory of them both.
Two distinctive voices, two remarkable careers and two women whose influence stretched far beyond the stage. Dolly Parton and Olivia Newton-John may no longer be with us, but recordings like this ensure that the joy they created together will continue to be heard.
And when their voices meet on “Jolene,” it is difficult to imagine a more fitting celebration of two friends who gave so much of themselves to music — and to the millions of people who loved them for it.
