MIAM -- Dolly Parton was a brilliant songwriter and musician. A trailblazer. A rule breaker. And the “Book Lady” who literally gave away hundreds of millions of books to the children of the world.

In her trademark way with a quip and a giggle, she delighted generations with her wit and wisdom and her way of making us all feel connected.

Even the “Coat of Many Colors” singer-songwriter’s on-stage patter and backstage behavior in concert in the Miami area over the years seemed tailor-made for South Florida’s audiences.

She resonated.

Take this Miami Herald concert review from her local performance in November 2005:

The times are certainly a’changin,’ as Dolly Parton delighted in telling her nearly sold-out crowd of about 3,000 at Boca Raton’s Mizner Park Amphitheater Sunday night. Her Vintage Tour features her greatest hits as well as classic ‘60s and ‘70s folk-pop covers featured on her current CD, “Those Were the Days,” from which she drew heavily during her 90-minute performance.

“We went from dropping acid to acid reflux. The Rolling Stones to kidney stones. It used to be drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll. Now there’s no such thing as sex without drugs. And free love? Have you seen the price of Viagra?” she joshed.

Changing times have even taken their toll on Parton’s career.

“Country radio was like a great lover. Then they dumped my ass for younger women,” she teased after singing her classic ode to a man-stealing, red-headed vixen named Jolene. But Parton’s chipper demeanor — she punctuates every wisecrack with a girlish giggle — makes even potentially blue commentary family-friendly.

Backstage at that concert, assembled guests were herded into a room with a stark set of rules issued by, presumably, one of her handlers. “No pictures. Do not approach Dolly. She’ll come to you.”

Moments later, grinning Dolly Parton swanned into the room and cheerfully told her lucky fans, “You heard a whole bunch of rules. I’m here to tell you, you can break ‘em all!”

She met all of her backstage guests personally and posed for selfies taken on archaic flip cameras, the images likely lost to time — there was no social media or iPhone Cloud 21 years ago — but etched in memory.

Inside a University of Miami social media class on the day Dolly died on Tuesday, students had their first assignment social posts beamed onto the room’s screen for class evaluation. One student had set her back to school routine Instagram and TikTok clip to the music of Parton’s 2022 deep cut, “Big Dreams and Faded Jeans.”

That’s how much Parton’s music reached across the generations —from boomers who grew up on “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” to Gen Z who somehow discovered the newer “Big Dreams and Faded Jeans.”

This summer, one prominent Miami family, the Kreegers, visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville to honor America’s 250th birthday.

David Kreeger, son of the late Miami classical music impresario Julian Kreeger, who died in 2024, and Judith Kreeger, senior circuit judge for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, who died on Tuesday, the same day as Parton, was inspired to honor his mother and Parton with a post to Facebook later that day.

“In many ways, Dolly Parton’s story reminded me of Mom’s,” Kreeger wrote. “Two women of a generation where women were told no far more often than yes. And two women who refused to accept that answer.

“Dolly Parton’s impact was felt around the world through her music, championing of women’s rights, philanthropy, and willingness to take risks as she evolved throughout her career. Mom’s impact came in different arenas — internationally recognized family court judge, mentor and advocate for professional women, advocate for underserved children, and community leader in South Florida.

“Little did I know a few weeks ago that both would pass away on the same day, today, reminding me once again of the parallels in their lives and the lives of so many trailblazing women of their generation. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to this generation for their willingness to forge ahead not just for their own sake, but for the sake of the women they knew would follow,” Kreeger wrote.

“Thank you, Dolly. Thank you, Mom. And thank you to all of the others who refused to take no for an answer.”

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