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The cancer patient who wished to meet Dolly Parton in his lifetime — leading to a viral story about the country legend serenading the man over the phone to fulfill his “impossible” bucket list item — has died. He was 48.
LeGrand Gold, of Utah, said in a previous interview with Salt Lake City-based KSL-TV, an NBC affiliate, that his cancer was spreading and treatment was no longer working. Gold had written a few bucket list items on a napkin, including “meet Dolly Parton,” an item he believed would be impossible. However, the beloved country singer called Gold and performed a version of her 1970s classic “I Will Always Love You,” swapping out lyrics to include his name. Gold’s wife, Alice Gold, shared a video of the heartfelt moment. Gold told the local NBC station at that time that he felt “like I'm immortal now. ...It made me feel good.”
Alice previously told PEOPLE, which published a report confirming Gold’s death on Monday afternoon (March 4), that “we thought Dolly would be the impossible, but true to Dolly form, she once again reminds the world that dreams really do come true.”
Gold died on February 8, following a 2-year battle with colon cancer. His family shared an obituary that they wrote as “an educated guess” as to what he would have wanted to say in his own obituary. They noted that “LeGrand was adamant about remaining humanized after death,” and introduced him as “LeGrand Gold, with a capital G. I’m LG to those who love me most, and yes, I am including Dolly Parton in with the rest of you.”
Gold is survived by his wife and five children.