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Utah man serenaded by Dolly Parton in final wish dies of colon cancer at 48

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Utah man serenaded by Dolly Parton in final wish dies of colon cancer at 48



LeGrand Gold of Orem, Utah was married a father of five who adored Dolly Parton. The country legend serenaded Gold in December, three months before he died of colon cancer on Feb. 8

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LeGrand Gold, a father of five living from Utah who idolized Dolly Parton and was serenaded by the country legend just before Christmas, has died after a two-year battle with colon cancer, according to an obituary written by largely by himself. He was 48.

Gold died of cancer on Feb. 8, according to the obituary, which described the Orem man as “someone you could always fall back on.”

Gold, who went by the initials, L.G., spoke with Parton through video call last December, fulfilling a life long dream. The country music legend expressed appreciation for years of appreciating her work in the video posted to YouTube on Dec. 22, 2023.

“I really do thank you for shooting out the word that you’d like to talk to me,” Parton said. “I’m just happy that we got to kind of have our journey together in this lifetime. I always want to make people happy with my music and with the things I do and the things I say, and I’m just happy to know that I’ve touched your life in some way so thank you for honoring me with that.”

‘I will always love you’: See Dolly Parton grant Utah man’s dying wish to meet her

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Who was L.G. Gold?

Gold was a computer programmer and was married to his wife, Alice Gold, for 26 years.

His family wrote Gold’s obituary in first person because he had put off writing it “one day too long.” In it, they emphasized Gold’s famous sense of humor so that his loved ones “might remember how he could make just about anybody laugh.

“I have finally succumbed to a poorly dealt hand, consisting of colon cancer, a really big thigh zit, a little bit of liver failure, and Alice,” the obituary says before going on to talk about his love of basketball, national parks, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of course, Parton.

The obituary says his five children − Abigail, Sophia, Bella, Caroline and Maximus − “are my biggest accomplishment, and my most diverse collection.”

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“Alice likes to say they worship the ground I walk on, but I haven’t noticed,” it reads. “I’ve been too busy admiring the stars that they reach for.”

Parton sang ‘I will always love you’ in video call

Back in December when Gold got to meet Parton in a video call, he got to tell the “Jolene” singer that she had been “a huge help” in his life, “especially these past two years.”

In a video captured by Alice, Parton wished L.G. a good Christmas and and sang part of her iconic 1973 song, “I Will Always Love You.”

“I will always love L.G.” she sang.

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At the time, Gold told local station KSL-TV that his doctors had recently told him his cancer treatment was no longer having an effect, so he decided to write a bucket list of things he still wanted to do. One of them was meeting Parton.

“I thought, ‘Well, it’s never going to happen,’” he told the station.

But Parton got word of Gold’s wish and came through for him, just in time for Christmas, chatting with him on Dec. 22.

‘Grounding rock of his family and adored by all’

Gold was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer in 2021 despite being in relatively good health, according to his GoFundMe page. He endured a brutal chemotherapy journey in the following years.

His family has reached over $23,000 in donations as of Friday. His family will remember Gold for his positive spirit, generosity and humor.

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“He is a sweet-tempered and a quiet man but always has the best comedic timing and never fails to make you laugh,” the GoFundMe page said. “He is the grounding rock of his family and adored by all.”



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Utah Jazz vs. Golden State Warriors: Recap and Final Score

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Utah Jazz vs. Golden State Warriors: Recap and Final Score


The Utah Jazz have extended their losing skid to three games with a loss against the Golden State Warriors. The final score was 114-123.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the night:

Defense folds again under Curry takeover

Utah controlled the first half of this game. At one point they held a 12 point lead.

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But at 37 years old, Steph Curry can still do some amazing things. Curry went for 20 points in the third-quarter, frazzled the Jazz, and they never really recovered after that. Part of this was Curry being the greatest shooter of all time, but part of it was Utah struggling to defend at the point of attack and off screens. They weren’t particularly physical, particularly attached, or particularly effective at shrinking Curry’s space. It’s same story from most night’s this season.

The Jazz are a solid offensive team – 16th best in offensive rating to be exact. They continue to lead the league in sharing the ball with a 72% assist rate and have weapons at every level, especially when Walker Kessler returns. But they are still the worst defensive team in the league at 30th in defensive rating. This is good news for pro-tank fans, but bad for the Jazz becoming a competitive team under this core.

Who is Utah’s third piece

Keyonte George is clearly playing at an All-Star and Most Improved Player of the Year level. He finished tonight with 22 points and nine assists. His third-year jump is real and he’s solidified himself as a core of the franchise moving forward.

Lauri Markkanen is still playing at an All-NBA level. He finished tonight with 35 points and five rebounds. He’s one of the best scorers in the league this season and a great companion next to George.

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When both of Utah’s stars are playing, it’s easy to convince yourself that the Jazz just need one more core player to pop to enter win-now mode. But it isn’t very clear who that player is. Is it Ace Bailey? Maybe, but that will take another two-three seasons to find out. It’s clear it’s not Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, or any other role player on the roster. It’s a shame that Walker Kessler is out for the season, because if the shooting was real, he might be a suitable answer.

The truth is that the next core piece is probably not on the roster right now. Let’s hope that comes from the draft if the Jazz keep their pick.

A note on tonight’s whistle

Praising the referees is usually not something people like to read about, especially when the Jazz lose. I’m doing it anyway, apologies.

Tonight’s crew chief was the fan-favorite Bill Kennedy. He was joined by 16-year veteran Kevin Cutler and 6-year veteran Simone Jelks. The crew did two things that I haven’t seen much of this season:

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(1) The crew did not penalize defenders for simply existing while offensive players generated contract. Keyonte George, for one, was someone who struggled with this. George (smartly) has learned that the NBA has decided that offensive players can initiate contact at will, enter the established space of the defender, and be rewarded with free throws. It’s partly why he’s shooting 7.4 free throws a game. In my opinion, this is bad for basketball.

To be clear, I don’t blame George for doing this. The most talented players at manipulating this part of the game are elite scorers in the league (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Austin Reaves, for example). But tonight, the crew didn’t reward George, Curry, Butler, or Markkanen with any of these types of plays and I think it led to a more competitive, faster, and more enjoyable watching experience.

(2) The crew treated Draymond Green like every other player when it comes to technical fouls. It’s no secret that Green gets a much longer leash than most when it comes to berating the officials. Watching him get two technicals after complaining on a meaningless play was nice to see, for once.



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White scores 25 to help Utah women hand No. 8 TCU its 1st loss, 87-77 in overtime

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White scores 25 to help Utah women hand No. 8 TCU its 1st loss, 87-77 in overtime


SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lani White scored 25 points to lead Utah past No. 8 TCU 87-77 in overtime Saturday night.

Reese Ross added 15 points and Maty Wilke had 12 for the Utes. Evelina Otto finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Utah (11-4, 2-1 Big 12) made 13 3-pointers and shot 56.5% from long distance.

Olivia Miles had 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to pace the Horned Frogs (14-1, 2-1). Marta Suarez added 23 points and 11 rebounds. TCU shot just 37% from the field, including 9 of 39 from 3-point range.

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White forced overtime by making a 3-pointer that tied it 67-all with 12 seconds left in regulation. Utah never trailed in OT and went up 76-69 with 2:47 left after White capped a 9-2 run with her fourth outside basket.

TCU used a 7-0 spurt to erase a four-point deficit in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Suarez and Donovyn Hunter put TCU up 66-64 with 49 seconds remaining.

Ross had a chance to tie it on two free throws with 33.3 seconds left, but missed both. Miles made one of two foul shots with 22 seconds to go before White tied it.

Utah took advantage of cold shooting by the Horned Frogs to pull ahead in the third quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Suarez were TCU’s only field goals over an eight-minute stretch. The Utes scored on three straight possessions, culminating in a layup from Wilke, to take a 52-48 lead.

Miles made back-to-back baskets to put the Horned Frogs back up 58-56. Utah used a 7-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Ross, to go ahead 63-58 with 4:32 left in regulation.

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Up next

TCU hosts Oklahoma State on Wednesday.

Utah plays at Kansas on Wednesday.

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Judge files ruling allowing for appeal to Utah Supreme Court in redistricting case

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Judge files ruling allowing for appeal to Utah Supreme Court in redistricting case


The judge in Utah’s redistricting case filed a ruling making it possible for the Legislature to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court, but not without a strong rebuke of their process.

On Friday, Judge Dianna Gibson ruled partially in favor of the Legislature’s most recent request in the redistricting case, certifying its August 25th ruling as final in order to allow them to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court.

However, she strongly denied their request to enter a final judgment and end the case, saying, “This case is far from over.”

MORE | Utah Redistricting:

File – Utah Congressional Redistricting Maps (Image: KUTV)

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“Quite literally – this Court is between the proverbial rock and a hard spot. This entire case is not ‘final,’” Gibson wrote in the ruling. “But the Court agrees that the important legal issues decided by this Court and reflected in each of its rulings … should be reviewed by the Utah Supreme Court as quickly as possible.”

Gibson said it was the legislative defendant’s “duty to seek appellate review” regarding any of her interlocutory, or non-final orders, within 21 days of the rulings. She said they repeatedly claimed they would but never did.

Now, they are requesting she finalize the case, or at the very least one of her orders, to allow them to file an appeal.

Because Gibson does not want to delay appellate review, she agreed to certify the August 25, 2025 Ruling and Order as final.

“Every Utah voter, every Utah congressional candidate and arguably every Utah citizen is impacted by this case. Issuing a final ruling – on even a portion of this case – ultimately serves the public’s interest and will lead to a faster resolution of the entire case,” she wrote.

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The redistricting case dates back to 2018, when voters passed a ballot initiative to create a commission to redraw the congressional district boundaries.

State legislators repealed the ballot initiative in 2020, and attempted to draw their own congressional map the following year.

This prompted a lawsuit, which has led to several rulings, including the one on August 25th, which declared that the Utah Legislature violated voters’ rights by approving congressional boundaries that split Salt Lake County.

“Until there is a final decision on these legal issues from our Supreme Court, there will be a cloud on Utah’s congressional elections and an open question regarding the power of the Legislature and the power of the people,” Gibson wrote in her most recent ruling.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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