Pakistan, Aug. 28 -- In Britain, the King's Guard band played Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" in front of Buckingham Palace. In the United States, the Empire State Building lit up in pink. In Japan, producer Seiji Kameda remembered a singer whose voice "shone like the sun".

Fans across continents, from prime ministers to pop stars, sent out messages of grief and affection after the news came through that the country music legend, songwriter and actress had died on Tuesday aged 80.

Many paid tribute to an artist they said had a rare ability to appeal to audiences across a wide range of political persuasions, age groups, genders and cultures.

"Your songs taught us to fall in love and how to express," Uganda's exiled opposition leader Bobi Wine w...