Dolly Parton tweaks hit 'Jolene' to urge Covid vaccine

From "Jolene" to "Vaccine" -- country music legend Dolly Parton has received her first Covid shot, and urged Americans to follow her lead with a rewrite of her classic hit singing the vaccine's praises.

"Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, I'm begging of you, please don't hesitate," she sang to the tune of her 1973 hit. "Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, because once you're dead, then that's a bit too late."

In the short video posted to social media, the 75-year-old singer gets a shot of Moderna's vaccine, the development of which she helped fund.

"I am old enough to get it (vaccine) and I am smart enough to get it.... I wanted to tell everybody that I think you should get out there and get it too," she said.

Revered by people from a variety of backgrounds for decades, Parton, a longtime philanthropist, has been popping up in the news of late, especially after donating $1 million to Vanderbilt University.

The funds went towards developing Moderna's coronavirus vaccine.

Parton joins other US celebrities who have publicly supported the vaccine like actors Tom Hanks and Sean Penn.

© 2021 AFP