GOVERNOR GREEN ORDERS FLAGS LOWERED TO HONOR DOLLY PARTON
GOVERNOR GREEN ORDERS FLAGS LOWERED
TO HONOR DOLLY PARTON
HONOLULU — At the direction of the President of the United States, Governor Josh Green ordered the flags of the United States and the state of Hawaiʻi to be flown at half-staff at all state offices and agencies, as well as the Hawaiʻi National Guard. Flags are to be lowered immediately and remain at half-staff until sunset on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
“Dolly Parton gave the world hope, laughter and the courage to dream bigger,” said Governor Green. “Though her roots were in Tennessee, she built a real and lasting connection with Hawaiʻi. She made a home on Oʻahu, celebrated our artists and culture, helped put books into the hands of our keiki and used her voice to support Maui families after the wildfires. Jaime and I join people across Hawaiʻi and the world in mourning an incredible American artist and extraordinarily generous human being. Her voice will endure, but so will the good she set in motion.”
Parton’s connection to Hawaiʻi spanned more than four decades. She owned a home in Portlock, performed for audiences on Oʻahu and filmed a 1988 episode of her ABC variety series, “Dolly,” in the islands. Titled “My Hawaii,” the episode featured prominent local entertainers, including Palani Vaughan, Melveen Leed, the Brothers Cazimero, Danny Kaleikini, Al Harrington and Danny Couch. It concluded at Waimea Falls Park with Parton and the Honolulu Boys Choir performing “How Great Thou Art.”
Her legacy also reached Hawaiʻi’s keiki. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library launched in Hawaiʻi in 2005 through a partnership involving the Dollywood Foundation, the state Department of Human Services, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center on the Family and participating public schools. The program provided free, age-appropriate books to young children in selected communities. Its work continues locally through affiliate programs, including ʻOhana Readers.
Following the 2023 Maui wildfires, Parton joined Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals to record a new version of “My Hawaiʻi.” Released in 2024, the song directed all proceeds to Maui United Way’s Maui Fire Disaster Relief Fund to support people affected by the fires in Lahaina and Kula.
Parton died at age 80. Across a career spanning seven decades, she became one of America’s most celebrated singers, songwriters, actors, business leaders and philanthropists. She sold more than 100 million records worldwide, earned 11 Grammy Awards and was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Her Imagination Library has distributed more than 300 million free books to children around the world.
President Donald Trump’s proclamation is available here.
