Many also brought butterfly balloons - they knew how much she liked butterflies, NBC's reporter said.
"This was her home, these were her people, her mountains. There was no other place that meant more to her," says Katie Inman, who has interviewed Dolly Parton several times.
After the 2016 forest fires, Dolly Parton started a foundation to help those affected in the area, and she also donated money after the hurricane a few years later.
The city of Sevierville has declared Wednesday an official day of mourning, and schoolchildren are being asked to wear pink and purple clothing in honor of Dolly Parton.
