August 26, 2026 — 5:23pm
Nashville: Ernie Samora left home in Denver just a month ago and moved to the capital of country music. Little did he know that Tennessee was about to lose its undisputed queen.
“Dolly was a bright light of kindness and generosity and empathy and understanding,” the 24-year-old says as he surveys the neon lights of Nashville’s Broadway.
“She made amazing music on top of that. I thought I knew a lot about Dolly, and I’ve learnt so much more about her today after her passing. People are just talking about all the good things she did.
“She’s like a mythological figure at this point. I fully believe she will go down with the likes of Elvis and Michael Jackson.”
