LOS ANGELES, United States — Cities and states across the United States celebrated the inaugural Dolly Parton day on Friday — 9/25 — a date that recalls one of the late country icon’s most beloved hits.

Parton died last month at the age of 80, plunging her fans into mourning for a singer-songwriter, philanthropist and businesswoman whom many saw as a unifying figure in a divided America.

This week, California governor Gavin Newsom said he was establishing the day to encourage citizens of America’s most populous state to take inspiration from the “9 to 5” singer, who starred in the 1980 film of the same name with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

The movie’s signature song, written and performed by Parton, has become a workplace empowerment anthem.

“We could all afford to live a little more like Dolly. Be kind, be humble, and have some fun… Be a diamond in a rhinestone world,” Newsom said.

“With this bill, we are not just establishing a day to celebrate Dolly Parton, we are creating an annual reminder to us, every year, to live the way she did — joyfully, graciously, and with a whole lot of heart.”

Events honour Parton’s legacy

Events around the Golden State included musical performances and giveaways in downtown Los Angeles.

At sunset, Santa Monica lit up its 27-metre-tall Pacific Wheel on the pier in pink, with “DOLLY” and “WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!” displayed along with pink hearts, stars and spiral animations.

Los Angeles County Library planned to hold a series of activities in honour of a woman whose literacy drive brought books to millions of underprivileged children.

The New York borough of Manhattan proclaimed the date to be Dolly Parton Appreciation Day, while New Orleans designated Friday as Dolly Day.

There were also community events in Lexington, Kentucky, to celebrate Parton’s legacy and the work she did to improve literacy.

In her home state of Tennessee, a number of counties proclaimed Dolly Parton Day to go alongside the statewide recognition on her 19 January birthday.

Parton rose from grinding poverty to become a rhinestone-studded legend with hits like “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You”.

She also starred in multiple films and donated millions of dollars to charities as she built a vast business empire that includes her popular Dollywood theme park in Tennessee, cosmetics, pet apparel, baking mixes and even a truck stop.

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