Note: This week's episode of "How We Heard It" is posting two days earlier than usual, and the podcast will resume its regular schedule next week.The world lost Dolly Parton on Aug. 25, 2026, touching off waves of public mourning for one of the most beloved artists in entertainment history.She was a brilliant songwriter and exquisite singer. Yet there was something extra about Parton the person that transcended even Parton the artist. The tributes to Parton by fans, celebrities and world leaders circle around the same themes in describing the singer. She was magically kind and empathetic, and she was a gently fierce defender of the most downtrodden in her determined effort to love everybody.For those who were fortunate enough to meet her in person, she was everything they hoped she would be.On this week's "How We Heard It," veteran music journalists and friends Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell, both natives of the same corner of East Tennessee as Parton, talk about their decades of covering Parton, meeting her and talking with scores of others who admired the artist. Joined by their producer and fellow East Tennessean John T. Baker, they talk about what set Parton apart from the rest of the world and her infectious compassion for humanity.They talk about her inspiring influence and philanthropy - and uncanny humor - through the years, and what we can learn from her at a time when the world seems to have broken apart into polarized factions.We may have lost Dolly Parton in mortal form, but if we hold on to her spirit and goodwill, we might just be OK.