Dolly Parton’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was apparently vandalized only a week after the beloved singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist died at the age of 80.
The star, located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, had become a gathering place for grieving fans, who covered it with flowers, cards, candles, and other tributes following Parton’s death on August 25. By Monday, August 31, however, a visitor found extensive scratches across Parton’s name.
Repair crews were working on the landmark Tuesday as images of the damage spread across social media. No suspect or motive has been publicly identified.
A Fan Discovered the Damage
Lore Corona said she and her daughters visited the star intending to leave flowers in Parton’s memory. Instead, they encountered a badly scratched marker.
“Somebody decided to do this about 10 minutes before we got here,” Corona said in a video cited by ABC7 Los Angeles. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
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Footage showed numerous marks running across the brass lettering of Parton’s name. KNX News later shared video of crews working at the site and reported that repairs were already underway.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said the vandalism occurred after memorial items had been cleared from the area. Those flowers and other tributes had been removed because repair work was already scheduled—not because of the new scratches.
Star Already Had Preexisting Cracks
Dolly Parton’s star had cracks before the reported vandalism and was already due for maintenance by the Hollywood Historic Trust, which maintains the Walk of Fame.
“The star was scheduled for repair for cracks as of last week,” Hollywood Chamber of Commerce spokesperson Ana Martinez told The Independent.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star vandalized, with flowers stolen & her name scratched off — repairs underway. pic.twitter.com/vgpZGkfdo3
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) September 1, 2026
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Martinez separately told City News Service that the new damage occurred after crews cleared the memorial ahead of the planned work. TMZ reported that flowers were also believed to have been taken from the site, although no person responsible has been named.
The timing allowed two different forms of damage to become conflated online: the older structural cracks and the apparent new scratching across Parton’s name.
A Landmark for an Extraordinary Career
Parton received her individual Walk of Fame star in 1984 in recognition of a career that extended far beyond country music. She wrote enduring songs including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You,” while also becoming a major film star, businesswoman, and philanthropist.
Her death prompted tributes around the world. In Los Angeles, the Walk of Fame star offered fans a physical place to gather and remember an entertainer whose warmth, humor, songwriting, and charitable work reached far beyond Nashville.
Dolly Parton at the ACM Awards – YouTube, Entertainment Tonight
That makes the apparent vandalism particularly cruel. The target wasn’t merely a piece of terrazzo and brass, but a public memorial where people had come to mourn.
The damage will be repaired, and Parton’s name will remain on Hollywood Boulevard. Whoever scarred it achieved nothing lasting. A few ugly scratches can’t ever diminish the body of work, generosity, and affection represented by the name beneath them.
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Dolly Parton’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star was vandalized days after her death, with scratches found across her name as fans mourned.
