Queen of Country Music’, philanthropist and humanitarian Dolly Parton has passed away aged 80 at her home in Nashville, Tennessee. The news was announced yesterday by her family via social media.
Beloved by many in the Country music world and beyond, Dolly Parton, known for her iconic songs “Jolene”, “9-to-5” and “I Will Always Love You”, left a lasting impact on not only music and songwriting, but also through her philanthropic endeavours targeting low childhood literacy rates, particularly in the Appalachian region of the United States in which she grew up.
The ‘Dolly Parton Imagination Library’ initiative, set up by Parton in 1995 as a tribute to her father, was described by herself as a “mission” to inspire children to “love to read”. Having grown up one of twelve children in rural Tennessee, Parton saw first hand the effects and limitations illiteracy had on her family and the people around her. The initiative still runs today, and has provided over 300 million books to children under 5 in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
More recently, Parton donated $1 million towards the development of a COVID-19 vaccine at the Vanderbilt University Medical centre, helping fund the Moderna vaccine. Never one to hide her sense of humour, Parton reimagined her song ‘Jolene’ to encourage people to receive the vaccine, by changing the lyrics to “vaccine, vaccine…I’m begging of you, please don’t hesitate”. When offered the vaccine first as a result of her contributions towards its development, Parton notably declined stating she would “wait her turn”, going on to release a video of herself getting injected: “I’m old enough [and] smart enough to get it”.
Parton’s philanthropic efforts span her entire career, with ‘The Dollywood Foundation’ providing scholarships to High School seniors, and countless benefit concerts raising funds for natural disasters, paediatric research and women’s healthcare.
Since the announcement of her passing, tributes have flooded in from musicians, political figures and fans alike, celebrating Parton’s life and legacy in music and the world beyond. “A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real or right” stated Taylor Swift, who has cited Parton as lifelong inspiration in her songwriting and storytelling. Sir Paul McCartney described Parton as a “wonderful woman” whose songwriting, singing and philanthropy were “unrivalled in the world of country music”.
Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000).
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