Legendary singer Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25 at age 80
James Patterson reflects on his friendship with Parton in a statement shared with PEOPLE
Patterson and Parton collaborated on the 2022 novel Run, Rose, Run
James Patterson is looking back on his friendship with Dolly Parton.

The bestselling author paid tribute to the legendary country singer, who died on Aug. 25 at age 80, in a statement shared with PEOPLE. Patterson and Parton collaborated on the 2022 novel Run, Rose, Run, and became friends while working on the book over two years.

"I had a half-baked but potentially really good idea for a story about a country singer," Patterson recalled in the statement. "I suggested to Dolly's manager that she and I consider writing a novel together. Dolly was interested but she wanted to meet face-to-face before deciding. We needed to talk, to get to know one another, if we were going to be writing partners. That made perfect sense to me."
The cover of 'Run, Rose, Run' by Dolly Parton and James Patterson
Credit: amazon

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