Dolly Parton invested her royalties from Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You to honour the late singer.
The country star released the self-penned track back in 1974 as the second single from her 13th album ‘Jolene’, and it returned to the charts in 1992 when Whitney’s cover was featured in the soundtrack to her movie ‘The Bodyguard’.
Her version topped the charts worldwide and went on to win the 1994 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance – giving Dolly a healthy boost in royalties too.
Speaking with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, the singer, who earned a reported $10 million off the back of the cover, revealed how she spent the cash.
“I bought my big office complex down in Nashville,” said Dolly, who recently released new track Sent From Above.
“I bought a property down in what was the Black area of town, and it was mostly just Black families and people that lived around there.
“And it was off the beaten path from 16th Avenue. And I thought, ‘Well, I am going to buy this place, the whole strip mall.’ And thought, ‘This is the perfect place for me to be,’ considering it was Whitney.”
She added: “So I just thought this was great, I’m just going to be down here with her people, who are my people as well.
“And so I just love the fact that I spent that money on a complex. And I think, ‘this is the house that Whitney built.'”
Whitney, who is remembered as the top-selling R&B female artist of the 20th century with hits like I Wanna Dance with Somebody, How Will I Know and So Emotional, passed away in 2012 aged just 48.
Her legacy lives on through her music, and a new hologram show is set to hit Las Vegas later this year for a six month engagement at Harrah’s Showroom venue.
