Dolly Parton has declined the offer of a statue being built in her honour in her home state of Tennessee.
In a statement shared to her social media the country music star said she is "honoured and humbled" by the government's proposal to put a statue of her on the state's Capitol grounds - but asks lawmakers remove the bill from consideration.
"Given all that is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time."
She added that she hopes several years down the line "perhaps after I'm gone" that she could still be considered.
The introduction of the bill follows an online petition which urged lawmakers to replace statues of Confederates with ones of Parton.
"Aside from her beautiful music, which has touched the hearts and lives of millions of Americans, Dolly Parton's philanthropic heart has unquestionably changed the world for the better," the petition reads.
The push for statues of former slave traders, colonialists and confederates to be torn down rose to the fore in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.
Floyd died in May 2020 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes - his death caused outrage across the US, with thousands of people marching to protest the systemic racism which enables black people to be killed at the hands of police.
Some of the civil action focused on monuments glorifying countries' imperialist past, which some people see as offensive in today's multi-ethnic society. Protesters tore down statues linked to empire and the slave trade.
