Amber Davies hails Dolly Parton for being ‘one of the first to believe in me’
Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
Welsh star of the West End Amber Davies has paid tribute to country singer Dolly Parton for being “one of the very first to believe in me” after making her West End debut in a production of 9 To 5.
Davies, who was born and raised in Denbigh, starred in the 2019 Parton-produced stage adaptation of the hit 1980 film which follows three frustrated colleagues who kidnap their boss after enduring his relentless sexual harassment.
The original film starred Parton alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and featured the hit song of the same name which landed the singer her first Oscar nomination for best original song.
Tributes have poured in from around the world for the country superstar who died aged 80 following what her publicist said was a “brief battle with cancer”.
In a post on Instagram, Davies said: “Dolly, you gave me my first YES.
“One of the very first to believe in me. This will always be a highlight of my lifetime. The world will not be the same without you.
“From the entire world, Thank you.”
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Parton was best known for her genre-defining hits including 9 To 5, I Will Always Love You and Jolene.
Parton’s death was announced late on Tuesday in an Instagram video by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who also served as the singer’s head of security.
Davies rose to fame after winning the third series of ITV reality dating show Love Island in 2017.
She has since had a string of West End roles, including in the London production of The Great Gatsby, which won her the prize for best supporting performer in a musical award at the WhatsOnStage awards, as well as Legally Blonde The Musical.
Davies was a finalist on the last series of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, having joined the show at short notice to replace injured fellow former Love Island winner Dani Dyer-Bowen.
Funeral
Parton revealed she wanted an old country-gospel song played at her funeral rather than one of her own songs.
In 2014, Parton told Entertainment Weekly she wanted the song If We Never Meet Again (This Side Of Heaven), written by Albert E Brumley in 1945 and later sung by Johnny Cash, to be sung at the service.
She told the US outlet: “I’m sure they’ll be playing I Will Always Love You when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston.
“When they picked her coffin up and started in on that song, I started to cry, and I thought, ‘oh my lord’, that’s when it hit me that she was really gone.
“But there’s a song called If We Never Meet Again, it’s an old country-gospel church song that talks about, ‘if we never meet again this side of heaven, I will meet you on that beautiful shore, where the charming roses bloom forever and where separations come no more’.
“That was my daddy’s favourite. We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine.”
Elsewhere in the interview, she spoke about her love of British singer Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, and said she had always wanted to cover The Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, which she eventually did with P!nk and Brandi Carlile on her final album, Rockstar, in 2023.
Following Parton’s death, fans and friends from around the world were encouraged to pay tribute to the 9 To 5 singer on social media tagging @dollyparton.
In lieu of flowers, Parton’s family has asked for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com.
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