John Foster Adds Heartbreaking New Lyrics to His Signature Song for Dolly Parton — Imagining Her Among the ‘Angels’ He Lost Years Ago
John Foster has already honored Dolly Parton by singing one of her most beloved songs. But his latest farewell carries an even deeper personal connection.
The American Idol runner-up returned to “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” the original song he wrote after losing two close friends, and added a brand-new chorus specifically for Dolly following her death.
Foster shared himself performing the new lyrics on social media, explaining that the words came to him after seeing the enormous outpouring of grief for the country music legend.
He also shared a touching thought about the two young women who originally inspired the song: perhaps they now have Dolly with them.
“Tell That Angel I Love Her” was born from tragedy
Foster rose to national attention during Season 23 of American Idol in 2025, finishing as runner-up behind winner Jamal Roberts.
One of his defining moments on the show came when he performed an original song called “Tell That Angel I Love Her.”
Foster had written it for his friends Maggie Dunn and Caroline Gill, who were killed in a car accident on December 31, 2022.
According to WBRZ, former Addis police officer David Cauthron was pursuing a suspect when he ran a red light and crashed into the vehicle carrying Maggie and Caroline.
Both young women were killed.
Their deaths became the inspiration for Foster’s deeply emotional song.
When he later performed it on American Idol, viewers saw how personal those words remained for him. His emotional delivery helped make the performance one of the memorable moments of his run on the show.
“Tell That Angel I Love Her” subsequently became known as Foster’s signature song.
Dolly’s death brought Foster back to the song
Following Dolly’s passing, Foster began seeing the countless messages being shared by people mourning her.
Those tributes inspired another chorus.
Rather than writing an entirely separate song, Foster chose to bring Dolly into a piece of music already centered on love, grief and the hope that a message can somehow reach someone who is gone.
In his new chorus, Foster imagines the sun continuing to rise and shining like Dolly’s famous rhinestones.
He then expresses the longing felt by fans who would give anything to hear her voice sing “just one more time.”
The chorus ends with Foster asking the Lord to tell the angel that the world will always love her as she lives among the stars.
The wording also carries an unmistakable nod to “I Will Always Love You,” Dolly’s enduring composition.
Foster says the lyrics came after seeing people grieving Dolly
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Foster explained the story behind the new chorus when he shared his performance online.
“The lyrics in this video came to me shortly after Dolly passed, after seeing so many wonderful posts about her from so many grieving people,” he wrote.
But it was what he said next that gave the tribute an especially emotional connection to the song’s original meaning.
Foster said he believed Maggie and Caroline would not mind him adding another chorus to their song for someone he was sure they both loved.
He then imagined Dolly being with them now.
Foster concluded his post with a message extending far beyond the three women at the heart of the tribute.
“Lord, tell those 3 angels, and all other loved ones that we’ve lost, that we love them!” he wrote.
He had already honored Dolly with “I Will Always Love You”
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Foster’s new chorus followed another musical tribute he shared shortly after Dolly’s death.
He performed “I Will Always Love You,” the song Dolly wrote and made famous long before Whitney Houston’s blockbuster recording introduced it to another generation.
Foster’s rendition received an enthusiastic response from fans, with many commenting that they believed Dolly would have been proud of his performance.
The video also attracted a huge audience.
At the time of the original report, it had surpassed 775,000 views.
Dolly’s family asked fans to support her Imagination Library
Following Dolly’s death, her family suggested another way for admirers to celebrate her life.
Instead of sending flowers, they asked people to consider donating to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Dolly founded the program in 1995 to provide free books to children.
Since then, it has distributed more than 330 million books and expanded across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.
The program became one of Dolly’s most significant philanthropic projects and remains a way for supporters to continue the work she began.
Maggie and Caroline’s legacies continue as well
Foster also used his post to remind followers that the two friends who inspired “Tell That Angel I Love Her” continue to be honored through organizations created in their memories.
The med Foundation was established in memory of Maggie Dunn and works to support families who have experienced the devastating loss of a young loved one.
The Caroline Grace Gill Foundation was created to honor Caroline.
Its mission includes assisting, educating, training and supporting law enforcement so officers have better resources to protect their communities.
Through additional technology, tools and training, the organization hopes to reduce the possibility of another family experiencing a tragedy like the one that claimed Maggie and Caroline.
A song for two friends now carries one more goodbye
“Tell That Angel I Love Her” began with a very specific loss.
Foster wrote it for Maggie and Caroline, two friends whose deaths left him with grief he eventually transformed into music.
Years later, millions heard that grief when he performed the song on American Idol.
Dolly’s death has now given the song another chapter.
Foster did not replace its original meaning or turn it into something entirely different. Instead, he added another message to the angels — this time for a woman whose music had touched generations.
And in Foster’s imagination, Dolly is no longer alone.
She is somewhere among the stars with Maggie and Caroline, while those left behind send the same simple message upward: we still love you.