Olivia Newton-John, Dolly Parton recorded ‘Jolene’ duet months before Newton-John’s death
Two musical legends teamed up for a duet shortly before one of them died from breast cancer.
Olivia Newton-John and Dolly Parton recorded a duet of Parton’s song “Jolene.”
The song was recently released by Universal Music Group.
Newton-John died six months ago at the age of 73, the “Today” show reported, and the “Jolene” performance was her last recording.
Parton spoke about the performance with Hello! magazine last year.
“My last memory of Olivia was when I sang with her on my song ‘Jolene’ which she recorded for an album not so very long ago. I cannot wait to hear that album and Olivia may you rest in peace. You left a spot that one else will ever fill,” Parton said as part of the magazine’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month digital issue.
Parton had shared on social media shortly after Newton-John’s death that the “Grease” actress was a “special friend” and that “her voice is singing beautifully with the angels.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/ChDgo56Ou8v/
Newton-John had originally covered Parton’s “Jolene” on her 1976 album, “Come On Over.”
Photo of OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
Portrait of Olivia Newton-John taken on 18th December 1971.
Olivia Newton-John
Photo of Grease Premier
Photo of Olivia Newton
Olivia Newton John & Michael Jackson at the Dreamgirls opening night after party inside. Taken in Los Angeles at the Shubert theater in Century City on March 20, 1983.
Cate Blanchett and Olivia Newton John during Penfolds Black Tie Dinner Honoring Australians in Entertainment at Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California, United States.
Tony Bennett and Olivia Newton-John during Tony Bennett Exhibition – Private View – April 5, 2005 at Cattoo Gallery in London, Great Britain.
Singer Olivia Newton-John attends the National Tree Day 10th Anniversary Launch at Sydney Park on July 07, 2005 in Sydney, Australia.
Mel Gibson and Olivia Newton-John
Singer Olivia Newton-John performs onstage at the Nokia Theater Times Square on October 11, 2005 in New York City.
Keith Urban and Olivia Newton-John during The 39th Annual CMA Awards – Capital Records Post Party – Red Carpet and Inside at Nikki Beach in New York City, New York, United States.
Singer/actress Olivia Newton-John attends the Opening Night Gala during the 35th Toronto International Film Festival at Metro Square on September 9, 2010 in Toronto, Canada.
Olivia Newton-John answers questions at SiriusXM’s Town Hall with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John hosted by Didi Conn at the SiriusXM studios on December 12, 2012 in New York City.
Olivia Newton-John (L) and daughter actress/singer Chloe Lattanzi attend ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 21 at CBS Televison City on October 19, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Olivia Newton-John (L) and John Travolta attend the "Grease" 40th anniversary screening at Samuel Goldwyn Theater on August 15, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.
(L-R) Olivia Newton-John and Jane Seymour attend the 2019 Industry Dance Awards at Avalon Hollywood on August 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Olivia Newton-John performs during Fire Fight Australia at ANZ Stadium on February 16, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.
NASHVILLE – 1965: Country singer Dolly Parton poses for a portrait in 1965 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
CIRCA 1970: Country singer Dolly Parton poses for a portrait in circa 1970. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
CIRCA 1972: Country singer Dolly Parton poses for a portrait in circa 1972. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
1974: Country singer Dolly Parton performs onstage with an acoustic guitar in circa 1974. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES – CIRCA 1975: Country singer Dolly Parton performs onstage wearing a yellow dress in circa 1975 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Dolly Parton at a press reception at the Hilton Hotel, London, 1976. (Photo by Vincent McEvoy/Redferns)
UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 01: Photo of Dolly PARTON (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
Portrait of Dolly Parton at the Holiday Inn in Chicago, Illinois, April 30, 1977. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
20th May 1977: Country music queen Dolly Parton is back in London after performing at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow, at a Scottish Royal Jubilee Television Special in the presence of the Queen, she now commences on a tour of Britain and the continent. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
UNITED STATES – AUGUST 01: Photo of Dolly PARTON (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)
LOS ANGELES – 1978: Country singer Dolly Parton poses for a portrait session in 1978 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)
Dolly Parton in a scene from the film ‘Nine To Five’, 1980. (Photo by 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – CIRCA 1981: Dolly Parton circa 1981 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Platzer/Images/Getty Images)
PIGEON FORGE, TN – 1993: American singer and songwriter Dolly Parton poses for a portrait with her guitar at Dollywood circa 1993 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. (Photo by Ron Davis/Getty Images)
Dolly Parton in publicity portrait for the film ‘Rhinestone’, 1984. (Photo by 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images)
American country music singer and actress Dolly Parton poses with a People’s Choice Award, March 13, 1988. She wears a white sequinned dress with transparent shoulders and long earrings. (Photo by Fotos International/Robert Scott/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES – OCTOBER 1989: Singer and Actress Dolly Parton poses for a portrait in October 1989 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)
Dolly Parton on the set of the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago, Illinois, May 15, 1991. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
LONDON – JANUARY 17: American singer Dolly Parton poses for photographers at the Churchill Hotel to promote her new single "If" on January 17, 2003 in London. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, UNITED KINGDOM – SEPTEMBER 06: Dolly Parton performs at Bournemouth International Centre on September 6, 2011 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Harry Herd/WireImage)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 15: Dolly Parton performs live on stage at Allphones Arena on November 15, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JUNE 08: Dolly Parton performs on stage at the Echo Arena on June 8, 2014 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts/Redferns via Getty Images)
GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND – JUNE 29: Dolly Parton performs on the Pyramid Stage on Day 3 of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm on June 29, 2014 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 03: Recording artist Dolly Parton performs onstage during the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 3, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/ACM2016/Getty Images for dcp)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 15: Singer-songwriter, actress, author, businesswoman Dolly Parton performs during Dolly Parton Pure & Simple Tour at Mann Center For Performing Arts on June 15, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images)
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 0518 — Pictured: Musical guest Dolly Parton performs on August 23, 2016 — (Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 08: Honoree Dolly Parton performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for NARAS)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 08: Dolly Parton accepts the MusiCares Person of the Year award onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 10: Dolly Parton attends the 61st Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus perform onstage at the 61st annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Katy Perry (L) and Dolly Parton perform onstage during the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Dolly Parton attends a press conference before a performance celebrating her 50-year anniversary with the Grand Ole Opry at The Grand Ole Opry on October 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)
Dolly Parton attends the Netflix Premiere of Dolly Parton’s "Heartstrings" on October 29, 2019 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Netflix)
Nile Rodgers and Dolly Parton attend We Are Family Foundation honors Dolly Parton & Jean Paul Gaultier at Hammerstein Ballroom on November 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Dolly Parton attends the 53rd annual CMA Awards at the Music City Center on November 13, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Dolly Parton performs onstage during the 53rd annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 13, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images,)
In this screengrab released on April 18, Dolly Parton speaks at the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards on April 18, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for ACM)
Dolly Parton performs at the 2021 Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye Concert at CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 24, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS – MARCH 18: Dolly Parton performs on stage at ACL Live during Blockchain Creative Labs’ Dollyverse event at SXSW during the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals on March 18, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for SXSW)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Inductee Dolly Parton speaks onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
FILE PHOTO: Dolly Parton performs onstage during the 58th Academy Of Country Music Awards at The Ford Center at The Star on May 11, 2023 in Frisco, Texas. Parton currently holds 10 Guinness World Records.
