A Dolly Parton statue has been proposed for the Tennessee Capitol

According to CNN, Tennessee State Representative John Mark Windle has proposed the planned statue, which would sit on Capitol grounds “to recognise her for all she has contributed to this state”.

The sculpture would be paid for by the “Dolly Parton fund” - which includes gifts, grants and other donations - if commissioned, and the public would also have a say on the statue’s design.

The proposed statue would face Ryman Auditorium, a historic music venue that Parton has performed at plenty of times throughout her illustrious career.

As of the time of writing, plans for the statue have not yet been approved.

Dolly was born in Pittman Center, Tennessee, and still holds her home state close to her heart.

The ‘Jolene’ singer even opened her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge in the state back in 1986, and the amusement park remains the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Dolly recently revealed she placed an unreleased song in a time capsule at the theme park’s DreamMore resort, which won’t be opened until 2045, when the 74-year-old singer is 99.

She said: “It would be a song that will never be heard until 30 years from the time we opened the resort.

“They said, ‘You’ll be long dead.’ I said, ‘Well, maybe not. I’ll be 99. I’ve seen people live to be older than that.'

“That’s like burying one of my kids, putting it on ice or something, and I won’t be around to see it brought back to life.

“It’s just burning me up inside that I have to leave it in there.

“Anyway, it’s kind of weird or strange that they would ask me to write this mystery song. I don’t know if I want to live to be 100 or not. But you never know. I might, and if I do, I’m going to be at that opening.”