Actress Shirley MacLaine stepped out in Malibu on Friday in her first public appearance since her Steel Magnolias co-star Dolly Parton died on Tuesday.
The 92-year-old Oscar winner was seen for the first time since the country music icon passed away at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
MacLaine was dressed comfortably in heather-grey sweatpants, a black T-shirt, and black loafers as she walked in the coastal California city. She wore gold jewelry, including a dainty watch and rings on her manicured hands, with her face lightly made up and her white-grey hair styled in a wispy pixie cut.
Following Parton's passing, MacLaine paid tribute to her friend and colleague with a simple statement shared with People magazine. "God sent her to us, and she has returned home," MacLaine said.
Tributes from Steel Magnolias Cast
Parton's death was confirmed on Tuesday in a video announcement posted by her nephew Bryan Seaver, who served as her head of security. Seaver said Parton passed away after being admitted on Friday to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where she was treated for autoimmune and kidney problems, according to TMZ.
"This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality," Seaver said in the clip. He praised his aunt for having "lived in the light" and added that she was now "in the arms of Jesus" alongside her late husband Carl Dean, her parents, and "countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens."
Parton's co-star Sally Field, 79, also shared an emotional tribute on Instagram alongside a photograph of the cast from the late 1980s film set. "If there are truly angels on earth, then we have just lost one," Field wrote in her caption. "Dolly Parton. There will never be another. I adored her with all my heart and will always cherish our time together. Forever. Rest in peace beautiful Dolly."
Legacy of the 1989 Drama
Released in 1989, Steel Magnolias is a classic American comedy-drama film that follows a close-knit group of Southern women supporting one another through life's trials and tribulations in a small Louisiana town. In the film, Parton played compassionate salon owner Truvy Jones, while Field and Julia Roberts starred as mother-daughter pair M'Lynn and Shelby Eatenton. MacLaine portrayed the sharp-witted Ouiser Boudreaux, with Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, Tom Skerritt, and Sam Shepard rounding out the star-studded ensemble cast.
Parton enjoyed an illustrious music career spanning six decades, becoming one of country music's most celebrated icons with global hits including Jolene and 9 to 5. Prior to her death, the singer had experienced months of ongoing health issues that forced her to cancel a series of scheduled public appearances.
Just four days before she died, Parton told People in an interview that she still had "so many things I want to achieve." Among her final plans were launching a new hotel and museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
