Dolly Parton on The Loss Of Fred Foster ‘I Will Always Love Him’

Country Music Hall of Fame member Fred Foster passed away last night (2/20) after a brief illness. He was 87. Foster was the founder of Monument Records and played a…

Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Updated Feb 22, 2019 6:01 PM EST

Dolly Parton on The Loss Of Fred Foster 'I Will Always Love Him'

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 17: Dolly Parton attends the gala evening of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 TO 5’ The Musical at The Savoy Theatre on February 17, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)

Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images

Country Music Hall of Fame member Fred Foster passed away last night (2/20) after a brief illness. He was 87.

Foster was the founder of Monument Records and played a pivotal role in the careers of Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Roy Orbison.

Parton stood on stage and paid tribute to the man who “saw things in me that nobody else did." Foster was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

Dolly posted on her socials this afternoon, "I am heartbroken that my friend Fred Foster has passed on. Fred was one of the very first people to believe in me and gave me chances no one else would or could. We've stayed friends through the years and I will miss him. I will always love him."

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Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media GroupEditor

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.