Jewel Says a Private Letter From Dolly Parton Left Her Shaken Long After Singing Beside Her

Jewel received a personal letter from one of her biggest inspirations, Dolly Parton, after singing her hit song "Jolene."

The incident occurred in 2022, when the country legend received the Bezos Courage and Civility Award from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez.

Jewel revealed in an interview with People, “Lauren had the brilliant — and slightly terrifying — idea that I should sing ‘Jolene’ for Dolly.”

Although she was terrified at the prospect, she went through with the performance, which she felt was “incredibly intimidating, but also such an honor.”

The musician recalled that things only got better when she arrived home and received a letter from the icon telling her how much she appreciated her performance.

“I was so proud of you the other night. You know how to hold a crowd in the palm of your hands. I loved the simplicity of you standing there with just your guitar, your great voice, your great songs and the warmth which came over the room (tent) ha!,” the letter read.

“It was unbelievable and I think everybody enjoyed it; I know I did,” Parton revealed.

“I was honored that you were there for me and loved you singing 'Jolene.' I would have joined you on a couple of things, but I have blown my voice out in LA trying to be a rock ‘n’ roll star; better stick with my holy roller. Ha!” the letter continued.

Parton, who passed away last month at the age of 80, added, “It was good to see you. I feel very close to you somehow and I think you are a great person and certainly a great talent.”

“I wish you the best always and I will always be glad to sing with you when you ask. Just know I will always love you,” she concluded.

“To have one of your heroes say those kinds of things about you really does a body good,” Jewel reminisced.

“She made me feel seen and inspired in just a few sentences — like she was encouraging me to keep carrying the torch that she and so many extraordinary women carried before me,” she added.

“If I can do it with half her wit, grace and humor, I’ll be doing pretty well,” she remarked.

The 52-year-old first met her idol as a child, which showed her how kind she was.

She grew even closer to her after working with her on the late singer's 2015 album, Picking Up the Pieces.

She asked Parton to give voice to the song “My Father's Daughter,” and the late legend happily obliged.

Parton, however, arrived at the studio with a friend when it was time to record, because she wanted honest feedback on her performance.

“She had thought of everything,” Jewel said.

“She empowered me to do my job, but also had a backup plan in case I was too star-struck to give her feedback. Brilliant,” she recalled.