Singer and songwriter Lee Greenwood remembered country legend Dolly Parton on Wednesday after her family announced her death.

Greenwood remembered being “starstruck by her” after hearing her music on the radio for six decades. He described Parton as someone who could fill a room but still make a conversation feel private. 

“She was a genuine, wonderful human being, and when she looked at you in the eye, she got eye contact, and you were— you’re really having a one-on-one conversation with her,” he said.

Greenwood noted that her hits “A Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You” “were songs that are very deeply rooted in her psyche.”

The musician also touted Parton’s patriotism. “Just to coin a phrase, she was proud to be American, and she was very patriotic,” he said, recalling how she thanked service members and never placed her fame above their sacrifice. "She would not hold her career so high that she wouldn't humble herself for people who sacrifice for our freedom,” he said.

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Parton’s faith was an integral part of her life, according to Greenwood. "She did discuss her love of the Lord, and I believe that she was touched by the Holy Spirit,” he said. “You could tell that sort of talent and that sort of radiance doesn't happen by itself. Was there a very real display of her faith when she was touring."

When asked for a lasting memory, Greenwood said he had “seen her many times entertain an entire audience just with her guitar,” then closed with “God bless her family.”

Dolly Parton died Tuesday at 80 years old after a brief battle with cancer. She passed at Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, surrounded by loved ones, after being admitted there on August 21. 

Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the death on behalf of the family in video posts on social media. Her team later confirmed that she was battling cancer, which had not been made public. Over the previous year, she had to cancel performances, citing her health.