(WJW) – Just days before Christmas, Dolly Parton fulfilled a dying man’s wish.
Utah man LeGrand Gold, a devoted fan of Parton’s, has been battling cancer for the last two years. But recently, he received news that the treatment was no longer having an effect.
With his time limited, Gold, who goes by “L.G.,” wrote out a bucket list of things he wanted to accomplish before dying, local outlet KSL-TV reported. One of the wishes was “meet Dolly Parton.”
Shortly before the holidays, Parton learned of LeGrand’s wish and gave him a call.
“Hey, L.G. (It’s) Dolly P!” Parton said, as heard in a video shared to YouTube. “I’ve heard you’ve been a fan of mine for many years, and I just wanted to thank you for that.”
Gold, lying in bed, can be seen with a big smile across his face.
“I really do thank you for shooting out the word that you’d like to talk to me. I’m just happy that we got to kind of have our journey together in this lifetime,” said Parton. “I always want to make people happy with my music and with the things I do and the things I say, and I’m just happy to know that I’ve touched your life in some way.”
Gold’s wife Alice, who filmed her husband’s reaction, told Parton that their family members are also big fans of her music, her theme park, and her “Imagination Library” book program.
“We love you for so many reasons, Dolly,” said Alice.
Gold also told Parton she’s been a “huge help” for him, “especially these past two years.”
As the conversation began to wrap up, Parton paraphrased one of her most famous songs. “Just know that I will always love you,” she told Gold, before rethinking her delivery and serenading him with a bit of the song instead. At the end, she even inserted “L.G.” into the lyrics.
“I hope all of you have as good a Christmas as you can,” Parton added.