A performer who impersonates Dolly Parton has promised to carry on indefinitely after sharing her devastation following the death of the country music icon.

Tributes have flooded in from political figures, the entertainment industry and further afield since the legendary entertainer’s passing was revealed on Tuesday.

Sarah Jayne Crust, who has been portraying the music star for three decades, admitted she is still struggling to accept the announcement.

She told the Press Association she was utterly heartbroken upon learning the information the previous evening and described the experience as emotionally tumultuous since that moment.

She described the singer as a worldwide legend and superstar beloved by everyone who always will be, stating that this fact feels even more evident now.

Ms Crust, who is 49, said Parton had personally expressed gratitude for her efforts and affirmed she would keep performing for the remainder of her life.

She is bringing her Dolly Parton Experience to Brighton on Friday and anticipates the performance will be markedly different.

She expected there would be considerable weeping alongside much festive singing and dancing.

The 49-year-old, who comes from Ashford in Kent, also oversees a theatre production titled Country Superstars and collaborates with her husband and daughter, with their tours typically arranged between 16 and 18 months ahead.

Regarding her musical presentations, she noted that Dolly fundamentally tells stories through her work and that when the song 9 To 5 plays, people cannot resist letting loose.

She predicted this particular weekend would see an explosion of emotion. She anticipated it would be intensely moving.

The event will take place at the Brighton Open Air Theatre in Dyke Road Park, a venue accommodating 400 people that has operated since 2015.

The two-hour show will feature a collection of the country music icon’s popular tracks including 9-5, I Will Always Love You and Jolene.

The theatre has scheduled an array of events throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, including a production of The Great Gatsby on Saturday, live wrestling on Sunday and a showing of Pinocchio on Monday.

The Brighton Open Air Theatre represented the long-held ambition of playwright and construction manager Adrian Bunting, who passed away in 2013 from pancreatic cancer at age 47. Almost two years to the day after his death, the venue opened after his friends collected £100,000 and secured planning and construction permissions.