Dolly Parton has paid tribute to her uncle, country songwriter Bill Owens, who she credits with encouraging her to become a singer.

Owens passed away earlier this week aged 85 and writing on Facebook, his famous niece said, "I wouldn't be here if he hadn't been there. I knew my heart would break when he passed, and it did."

We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

She added, "He was there . . . there in my young years to encourage me to keep playing my guitar, to keep writing my songs, to keep practicing my singing.

"And he was there to help build my confidence standing on stage where he was always standing behind me or close beside me with his big ol' red Gretsch guitar.

"It's really hard to say or to know for sure what all you owe somebody for your success. But I can tell you for sure that I owe Uncle Billy an awful lot."

Owens, who was also known as an environmentalist, wrote hundreds of country songs, which were recorded by Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, and Kris Kristofferson, among others. He collaborated with Dolly on Put It Off Until Tomorrow.

"I bet a lot of our own relatives don't even know all of the great things that Uncle Bill did behind the scenes through his life," Parton said.

"But the greatest thing he ever did for me was to help me see my dreams come true and for that I will be forever grateful."

Owens helped Parton at the age of 10 get her first radio performance on the Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour radio show in Knoxville Tennessee. He encouraged her to practice her guitar and often drove her to local shows where she could perform.

We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

"It’s really hard to say or to know for sure what all you owe somebody for your success," Parton wrote of her uncle. "But I can tell you for sure that I owe Uncle Billy an awful lot."

They wrote songs together, including Parton's very first single Puppy Love, which came out in 1959 when Parton was just 13. Owens eventually started taking her to Nashville to pitch songs to record labels and publishing companies.

Owens and Parton were signed as songwriters by Fred Foster, a legendary country producer, to his publishing company Combine Music, and Foster signed Parton as an artist to his Monument Records label in 1965.

Parton and Owens wrote Put It Off Until Tomorrow, which would become a top 10 hit for Bill Phillips. Parton is also singing backup vocals in that recording. It was named BMI song of the year in 1966. Phillips would also record another song they wrote called The Company You Keep.

Owens wrote songs recorded by Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner, Ricky Skaggs and Kris Kristofferson He was also a touring musician and backed up Parton in her early years in Nashville.

Owens also worked at Parton's Dollywood theme park as a performer and his passion was restoring the native chestnut tree to the Great Smoky Mountains region. Parton said that he and his wife Sandy planted 70,000 trees on Dollywood property over his lifetime.

"He was funny, friendly and generous," Parton said. "He always had a kind word for everybody and gave good advice to young people starting in the business."