Tennessee songbird and vaccine research funder Dolly Parton has gotten her COVID-19 vaccine. Parton shared both a photo and video of herself getting the shot at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon.
“Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine,” the tweets read.
In the video, she noted she’d finally found a use for her “cold shoulder” blouse.
“I’m so excited!” she said ahead of the shot, adding that she had been waiting to get it “until I’m old enough to get it and I’m smart enough to get it.”
"I wanted to tell everybody that I think you should get out there and do it too," she added.
Parton also performed an a cappella version of “Jolene” but replaced "Jolene" with "vaccine."
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“Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vacciiiiine, I’m begging of you please don’t hesitate / Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vacciiiiine, ‘cause once you’re dead then that’s a bit too late," she sang.
She encouraged her fans and followers to get the vaccine when it's their turn, adding that "we all want to get back to normal, whatever that is."
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"That would be a great shot in the arm, wouldn’t it?" she laughed. "So I just want to say to all you cowards out there, don’t be such a chicken squat, go out there and get your shot.”
Parton had donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center early on in the pandemic to help find a vaccine for the coronavirus. Its research and Parton’s donation played a role in Moderna’s vaccine, which was found to be 94.5% effective.
When she announced her donation, Parton explained that her longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad was involved in the project and “informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure.”
The official preliminary report on the Moderna vaccine even credits the “Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund,” amid a number of other organizations.
Parton told TODAY in November that it had just made sense to her to give back.
“I'm just happy that anything I do can help somebody else, and when I donated the money to the COVID fund, I just wanted it to do good. Evidently, it is,” she said on the show. “Let's just hope we find a cure real soon.”
In February, she said she was waiting to get vaccinated because she didn't want to look like she was cutting the line.
“I’m not going to get mine until some more people get theirs,” she told The Associated Press. “I don’t want it to look like I’m jumping the line just because I donated money. I’m very funny about that.”
The "Jolene" singer turned 75 in January and is well within the age guidelines for receiving the vaccine in Tennessee.
On Tuesday, fans were thankful Parton would be more protected against the virus.
"Thank you universe for protecting our queen," one person posted.
"I will always love you(r commitment to public health)," another posted, making a play on Parton's famous song, "I Will Always Love You."
"Hero, national treasure, angel, patriot. There just are not enough words to describe all the good this woman brings to our world. Thank you, Dolly," a fan wrote.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
