Kelly Clarkson did something really sweet for her friend and country music star Dolly Parton. Dolly was feeling sad because her husband, Carl Dean, had just passed away. Dolly and Carl had been married for over 50 years, which is a super long time! They loved each other a lot, and even though Carl didn’t like being famous, Dolly always said he was her biggest cheerleader. When he died, it made her heart hurt a lot.
Kelly wanted to cheer Dolly up, so she sang a special version of her song “Piece by Piece” on her TV show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. Normally, the song is about someone leaving and then coming back to fix things. But Kelly changed the words to make it about Dolly and Carl’s amazing love story instead.
When Kelly started singing, her voice shook because she was so emotional. She sang:
“Piece by piece, he built you a life,
Never let go, stayed right by your side.
Through every storm, through all the years,
He held your hand, he dried your tears.”
Everyone in the audience got quiet and listened closely. The new words told the story of how Carl was always there for Dolly, no matter what, for all those years.
Then the cameras showed Dolly sitting in the front row. She had tears in her eyes and put her hand on her heart because she was so moved. After Kelly finished singing, she walked over and gave Dolly a big hug. She whispered, “He loved you piece by piece, every single day.” Dolly smiled through her tears and said, “And I’ll keep loving him, every single day.”
Lots of people saw the video online and loved it. They thought Kelly was so kind to change her song just for Dolly. It showed everyone that even when someone we love is gone, the love we shared with them stays strong forever.
