Dolly Parton, the iconic songwriter, singer, and actor, who founded a well-known literacy program that donated millions of books to children, died this week at the age of 80 in Nashville.
Parton wrote and sang hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You,” that totaled more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams.
She also launched Imagination Library to support literacy in her home region of Tennessee, and the organization grew to have a global reach.
The organization’s focus was building love of reading for children birth to age 5, according to its website. Imagination Library said it donates more than 3 million books per month to children registered through the program.
Known for her curvy physique, massive blonde wigs, and skin-tight outfits that served her self-deprecating wit, she was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond.
Parton also was a successful businesswoman whose projects included a theme park in the Smoky Mountain foothills near her birthplace.
Parton ‘shared her soul in every note she sang’
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young shared a statement about the passing of the superstar, who was inducted into the hall in 1999.
“Dolly Parton’s legacy is not celebrity, but humanity,” Young said, calling her a “champion of equality and literacy.”
Parton was born in Tennessee and rose from humble beginnings to become a country music icon. Her ensuing partnership with Porter Wagoner helped launch her career, and she later became a successful actor and businesswoman.
Parton was also a philanthropist, founding Imagination Library to promote children’s literacy. The famed musician said she created the organization as a tribute to the memory of her father, who never learned to read.
“He was the smartest man I have ever known, but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams,” Parton wrote on Imagination Library’s website.
For millions of fans, Parton was simply “Dolly,” a mixture of Southern charm, humor and glamour. But she was also considered a feminist role model for holding the reins of her own career, writing her own songs, owning her content and looking after her finances in an entertainment world dominated by men.
Parton was open to making fun of herself; when she hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 1989 she told the writers that her only restrictions were she wouldn’t curse and she wouldn’t make fun of Jesus.
Parton honored for her legacy in boosting literacy
The digital library app Libby wrote on Facebook that Parton inspired generations of young readers through Imagination Library..
“Dolly was a beloved artist and cultural icon, but perhaps just as importantly, she was a lifelong champion of literacy and the belief that everyone deserves access to books,” Libby wrote in the post.
Separately, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio and his wife, Fran, said Parton changed many lives through her efforts. Fran DeWine had worked with Parton to create one of the largest Imagination Library programs in the nation.
“Because of Dolly, millions of children around the country and the world are getting free books and learning how to read, which will, in many cases, change the trajectory of their lives,” Fran DeWine said.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon also praised Parton, saying she “helped spark a lifelong love of reading” in generations of youth.
Parton was known for her inclusivity and philanthropy
Throughout her career, Dolly Parton was embraced by the LGBTQ community. And for good reason: acceptance has long been a theme in her music.
Take, for example, “Family” on her 1991 album “Eagle When She Flies.” It’s a moving song about tolerance in which Parton sings: “Some are preachers, some are gay / Some are addicts, drunks and strays / But not a one is turned away / When it’s family.”
“I don’t condemn nor condone anything,” Parton once told The Associated Press regarding the song. “I just love and accept people where they are for who they are.”
Young fans remember Parton as ‘Aunt Dolly’
For an entire generation of young girls, Dolly Parton was first introduced to them as “Aunt Dolly” on “Hannah Montana.”
Parton’s real-life role as Miley Cyrus’ honorary godmother was mirrored on the Disney Channel show, giving viewers a glimpse of the close bond they shared.
Over the years, that relationship extended beyond the screen and into music, with the two collaborating on songs including “Rainbowland” and “Wrecking Ball.”
In 2023, a 1st grade teacher in Wisconsin was fired after objecting to her district’s decision to prohibit a student performance of a song performed by Parton and Cyrus.
The teacher, Melissa Tempel, learned that her students could not sing the song “Rainbowland” at the school’s spring concert, because her principal decided it could be considered controversial, citing district policy, Education Week reported at the time.
The teacher tweeted about her frustration at the Waukesha district’s decision to not allow the song. She was later placed on administrative leave and fired.
Parton and Cyrus discussed the song’s message of inclusion and acceptance of different identities in media interviews.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to live in paradise,” the song’s lyrics state. “Where we’re free to be exactly who we are / Let’s all dig down deep inside / Brush the judgment and fear aside.”
In an interview, Parton said the song offered a message of hope and positivity.
“It’s really about if we could love one another a little better or be a little kinder, be a little sweeter, we could live in rainbow land,” she said. The message is about “dreaming and hoping that we could all do better. It’s a good song for the times right now.”
Education Week Managing Editor Sean Cavanagh contributed to this report.
