US actress Julia Stiles has paid tribute to late country music legend Dolly Parton on the dancefloor.
Before taking to the ballroom on Dancing With The Stars, Stiles revealed Parton had personally cleared the use of her hit song 9 To 5 just weeks before her death.
Parton died on August 25 aged 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
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The news of her passing has triggered an outpouring of moving tributes from around the world, including Stiles’ performance on the US version of Dancing With The Stars.
Stiles starred alongside the late Heath Ledger in the 1999 hit teen movie 10 Things I Hate About You and 2001 dance flick Save The Last Dance.
On Wednesday night, Stiles performed a quickstep to Parton’s hit song 9 To 5 with her DWTS partner Ezra Sosa.
“It was only a couple weeks before Dolly passed that she approved this song specifically for me,” Stiles revealed.
“I’m so honoured to be dancing to her music and honouring her legacy, and I want to make her proud.”
Stiles and Sosa brought a theatrical flair to the performance, which earned a standing ovation from the ballroom audience.
Afterward, co-host Julianne Hough asked Stiles what it meant to perform to Parton’s song.
“It was the first song we talked about. I wanted it so badly,” Stiles said.
“We didn’t know what was gonna happen. She cleared it, and I just feel so honoured, like, to honour Dolly.
“She’s such a powerhouse and the song is so great. Like, it’s such an anthem. And, yeah, what a legend.”
Stiles noted she had chosen the song before Parton’s recent death.
“We had no idea. And now I’m just, like, so honoured to dance to her music,” she said.
Dolly Parton leaves behind final song for fans
Late country music legend Dolly Parton has secured her legacy with future generations and surprised fans with a musical time capsule to be opened on what would have been her 100th birthday.
The 80-year-old died in Nashville after a short battle with cancer.
Parton left behind a legacy that includes decades of philanthropy and human rights advocacy as well as a music career that spanned over six decades.
Fans and future generations will now also have the chance to hear a previously unreleased song from the music icon.
The only catch: it won’t be released for another 20 years.
Parton created the musical time capsule in 2015, with an unreleased song titled My Place In History.
A CD with the song and a CD player were placed inside a chestnut box at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
The box contains instructions that it is to remain sealed until January 19, 2046, which would have marked Parton’s 100th birthday.