Dolly Parton pays tribute to late “9 to 5” costar Dabney Coleman: 'He taught me so much'

Coleman died May 16 at 92.

Dolly Parton has a lot of love for the late Dabney Coleman.

Coleman, who died May 16 at 92, played Parton's sexist boss, Franklin Hart, in the in the 1980s classic 9 to 5, one of his best known movies. She explained in a sweet message that the two were actually close.

"Dabney was a great actor and became a dear friend," Parton wrote on social media. "He taught me so much when I was doing my first movie, 9 to 5. He was funny, deep and smart. We remained friends through the years and I will miss him greatly as many people will."

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Coleman's daughter, Quincy Coleman, confirmed the sad news in a statement to Entertainment Weekly: "My father crafted his time here on earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity. As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery. A teacher, a hero, and a king, Dabney Coleman is a gift and blessing in life and in death as his spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones and his legacy… eternally."

Coleman's roles stretched back to the '60s, but his work as the boorish boss that Parton's character Doralee and her coworkers Judy and Violet (played by Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin), fantasize about getting revenge on, is what made the biggest impression on many. More than 40 years after its release, the film has become a TV staple. His other work includes You've Got Mail, Tootsie, On Golden Pond and The Muppets Take Manhattan. He worked with Parton and Tomlin again in The Beverly Hillbillies movie in 1993. According to IMDb, his final appearance was an episode of Yellowstone in 2019, as John Dutton Sr., the father of Kevin Costner's character.

Before Parton's kind words, Tomlin and her partner, Jane Wagner, posted an image of him in the movie on X and captioned it, "We just loved him."

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Comedian Ben Still paid him quite the compliment when he posted a message:

"The great Dabney Coleman literally created, or defined, really — in a uniquely singular way — an archetype as a character actor. He was so good at what he did it's hard to imagine movies and television of the last 40 years without him."

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