Parton toured with Billy Ray Cyrus back in the '90s and they became close friends, and he later asked Parton to be Cyrus's godmother before she was born.
While portraying Hannah Montana for the Disney Channel, Cyrus had the opportunity to get much closer to Parton during the episodes in which she appeared as Hannah's Aunt Dolly.
Later, Parton was outspokenly supportive of Cyrus's transformation into her own person after her Hannah Montana years, and they performed together many times.
In response to Parton's death, Cyrus posted a touching tribute and a favorite older photograph of her godmother.
Cyrus wrote:
"The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share. Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts."
"What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis."
"I will always love her and want to make her proud. My heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply."
"We’re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things."
You can see the post here:
Some viewers expressed their condolences to Cyrus.
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This was an incredibly sweet tribute in a sea of well-deserved tributes, and while Dolly Parton may no longer be with us, her hard work and legacy lives on, especially in those she loved.
Some of his many, many roles helped shape Gen-Xers and Millennials, potentially unbeknownst to them, including those in FernGully: The Last Rainforest and The Wild Thornberrys, as well as his quirky, hilarious roles in Clue and Home Alone 2.
Fans everywhere were heartbroken.
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Heartfelt tributes began to pour in on social media, as celebrities shared their experiences meeting him and working with him.
Leading the tributes was none other than Carol Burnett, who costarred with Curry in Annie.
"We had such a wonderful time working together on 'Annie.' Nobody could play lovable villains better than he could."
"He was a dear friend. I was blessed to know him."
Next, Luke Evans, who took on the role of Frank-N-Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show reboot on Broadway.
He shared an iconic photo of Curry in his full Frank-N-Furter look, as well as a photo of himself on the stage, and the letter he'd written to Curry during his time on Broadway.
Evans wrote:
"He was a force, a bright fierce flame, an exquisite charm and that rich vocal tone, he was an inspiration to me and so many more people for the roles he played and the effect he had on so many of us."
"There will only be one Tim Curry."
In the letter he sent Tim Curry, Evans wrote:
"Dear Tim, With only three weeks left before I finally hang up the fishnets and heels, I wanted to send you a note."
"Although we've never met, you've been part of this journey from the very beginning. Every actor who puts on Frank inevitably walks into a conversation that started with you, and I've felt that every single night."
"Being compared to you has been one of the greatest compliments I've ever received, even though it's a comparison no one could ever hope to live up to."
"There is, and always will be, only one Tim Curry."
"I've never tried to recreate what you did. That would be impossible. I simply hoped to honor the extraordinary character you brought to life, while finding my own way through him."
"As this chapter comes to an end, I just wanted to say thank you."
"For your fearless performance, for creating something so enduring, and for inspiring generations of actors to be a little braver than they thought they could be."
"I hope, wherever you are, you'd approve of one more Frank having the time of his life in those heels."
"With enormous admiration, Luke."
Lesley Ann Warren, who costarred in Clue with Curry, was struck by the loss of "a wild and inspired soul."
"My dear companion in crime, the brilliant, hilarious, hysterically funny magician of artistry has left us."
"What an unbelievable joy to have shared a sound stage with him and to engage with such a master talent."
"I adored him. Bless his wild and inspired soul."
And Jim Hensen's The Muppets crew confirmed the status everyone already knew Curry was worthy of: honorary Muppet.
There's a saying that circles around from time to time, comparing Muppet Treasure Island and Muppet Christmas Carol, which claims that Michael Caine viewed the Muppets around him as fellow actors, while Tim Curry viewed and embodied himself as a fellow Muppet.
The Muppets crew said of Curry:
"Few humans have earned the title of honorary Muppet more than the legendary Tim Curry."
"As a performer, he was unparalleled: witty, charming, unnerving, and deeply funny. We will always consider it one of our greatest treasures to have been part of Long John Silver’s crew."
"Thank you for everything, Tim."
Linus O'Brien and his father, Richard O'Brien, both involved in Rocky Horror Picture Show, spoke to the magic and potential they saw in Tim Curry early in his career, expectations he expertly surpassed.
"Tim Curry was a wonderful man by nature who was also a wonderful performer and understood the difference between such delightful achievements."
"He never sought attention and never put himself before the roles that he played."
"He was, in short, a good egg and class act. It was both a privilege and delight to have known him and worked with him."
"Rest in peace, dear Tim."
Finally, Instagrammer Lola C said what all of the weird and strange kids who felt like Tim Curry raised them were thinking.
"There are some celebrity deaths that feel strangely personal, and Tim Curry is one of them."
"He showed me that being different could be beautiful."
"And what a career he gave us: Frank-N-Furter, Wadsworth, the Lord of Darkness, Pennywise, Rooster, Captain Hook, Long John Silver, Nigel Thornberry, and so many more."
"But his legacy, to me, is bigger than any role. He gave so many of us permission to be weird, theatrical, fearless, and unapologetically ourselves."
"Thank you, Tim Curry, for helping me find a part of myself I didn't even know I was looking for."
"Rest in power, you magnificent, beautiful creature."
"My heart is f**king broken."
Whether he's going home with Frank-N-Furter or finally making it to "space!," Curry's impressive legacy lives on. No Time Warp can stop it.
Truly, Luke Evans said it best: there will only ever be one Tim Curry.
"The transition to the AI era will be one of the most turbulent times in human history."
"Right now, we are not preparing adequately for that transition."
"If the world takes the right steps, AI will be a force for good and leave everyone better off."
In his essay, Gates gave three big risks that global leaders need to address:
Gates added:
"AI will either be the greatest equalizer ever invented, or the worst source of injustice."
"We need time to prepare for the social, political, and economic upheaval."
In addition to his essay, Gates also appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 to share similar warnings.
In his essay, Gates warned:
"Even criminals with very limited skills will be able to target victims at every scale... AI models could begin to act against our interests and we could lose control... The same tool that will allow people to learn more than ever could also lead to many people learning less."
People largely concurred with Gates' assessment, if not necessarily the messenger.
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Gates offered some solutions after stating "the world needs a plan":
The billionaire tech mogul added his message to world leaders:
"You have a chance to act now, before unemployment rises sharply, communities are hurting, and public trust has eroded. You can make sure that your government handles the problem holistically, rather than divvying it up into multiple bureaucratic fiefdoms."
"You can make sure AI benefits everyone. And you can work with other governments to meet this national and global challenge."
Whether warnings from Gates speak louder than money from people like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison remains to be seen.
Since arriving in the United States, she unfortunately has not been welcomed with open arms or encouraged while going through the many struggles of being a child of war and a refugee.
Rather, she experienced many microaggressions by her classmates, as well as one of her teachers.
For example, in her English class, her teacher instructed them to "double space" their upcoming essay, which American students understand means to double-space the lines and space between paragraphs in the margin settings on their word processing program of choice.
Coming from Ukraine, the TikToker wasn't used to writing essays to demonstrate her knowledge, and she'd never heard "double spacing" as a requirement before. In response, she diligently included two spaces in between every single word in her essay, only for her teacher to mock her in class and continue to use that example as an "inside joke" with the students throughout the rest of the school year.
But the worst example came from a classmate.
The TikToker had just received terrible news that morning of a family member back in Ukraine who had been injured and would need surgery, so she was understandably in no mood for drama.
Then a classmate got her attention and asked:
"Are any of your relatives dead yet?"
That student burst out laughing, but one of her friends, realizing the joke had gone too far, was quick to apologize.
You can watch the video here:
Viewers of the video were disgusted on their fellow TikToker's behalf for dealing with such extreme bullying.
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It's easy to say that white people can not experience racism, but that does not mean that they cannot experience other forms of bigotry, like xenophobia, which is commonly experienced by Slavic and Balkan individuals.
It seems that TikToker @shape_shifter01 might have been in a school with—or was at least being targeted by—a group of students who sided with Russia over Ukraine and perhaps even have right-wing ideals.
Either way, their behavior was not okay.
TikToker Riley Madison revealed how she went through that with her ex-husband, although enough time had passed for her to date and marry another man.
During their divorce proceedings, her ex-husband had sent her a lengthy list of all the things he had to "sacrifice" while he was married to her, and she found the list so ridiculous, she decided to share it with her followers online.
The list was 17 items long and included things like:
"Every woman I could've had sex with since you and I got together."
"I gave up my free time during the week to work a 9-to-5 so that we could get ahead financially."
"Actually had a car crap out on me while driving back from your place."
"Money that I could have spent on myself."
"I've given up secrecy and told you everything."
"I've given my whole life to you on our wedding day."
You can watch the video here:
Fellow TikTokers mocked the ex-husband for victimizing himself in such silly ways.
Seriously, who blames their partner and their marriage for clocking in? And what does a car breaking down even have to do with a relationship?
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TikTok fully sided with Madison on the absurdity of her ex-husband's list, and they were very pleased that he was an ex.
His list was largely centered around clearly wanting to be single: flirting and spending time with other women, staying out late, having sex with anyone he wanted, and keeping secrets.
But there were other things that didn't have to do with being married, being in a relationship, or even sharing a friendship at all, like having to work a job or having a car break down.
Throwing these at Madison as "her fault" was clearly just a way to make the list longer, and again, it was delightful to see that she had moved on while her ex still clearly has healing work to do.
