As a music lover, I often write about different musical moments that have a significant impact on my day while selling the paper. Aug. 25, 2026 proved to be one of those days.
While there were a few notable experiences that day, one was far more poignant than the others: the death of Dolly Parton. It DEFINITELY changed the trajectory of my day.
Dolly had such a remarkable way of bringing people together from various backgrounds. This can be seen all over the world, no doubt, that’s why the tributes continue to pour in from all over the world.
For example, even the typically extremely formal and precise military ceremony known as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace paid tribute to her by playing “9 to 5” the day after her death.
Part of what makes her story impressive is that she came from such humble beginnings, and even with all her success she never forgot where she came from. She was always giving back to her Tennessee home and to others.
She wrote her first song, “Little Tiny Tasseltop” around age 5 or 6 about her favorite toy, a homemade doll.
She began performing publicly at age 10 and in 1959, at age 13, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut.
She left her East Tennessee home and came to Nashville the day after she graduated high school. Soon after her arrival, she met Carl Dean at a local laundromat. They married two years later, and they remained married for nearly 60 years until his death in 2025.
In 1967, she made her first record, “Hello, I’m Dolly” and joined the Porter Waggoner Show. Although she left the show in 1974 to pursue a solo career, she had many successful collaborations with other artists including Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris to name a few.
Dolly was far more than the many awards and accolades she received in her 70-plus year career including:
- 11 Grammys (She won the recording academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and her hits “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.)
- 49 Top 10 Albums
- 26 No. 1 Songs
- 120 Career Charted Singles
- 10 CMA Awards
- Five American Country Music Awards
- Four People’s Choice Awards
- Three American Music Awards
- In 1999, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame
- In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (She initially declined, but was selected anyway.) She even wrote a song for the occasion fittingly titled, “Rockin’.” Many of the rock stars in attendance came together to honor her with their rendition of her song “Jolene.”
- She sold more than 100 million records throughout her career.
These accomplishments alone would represent a lifetime of work and then some for most people, but music was only part of what made Dolly so special. She also became a well-respected actress proving she could hold her own with stars like Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlinson, Sally Field, Julia Roberts and Queen Latifah in movies like: 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and Joyful Noise. She even got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 14, 1984.
But wait, there’s more! She was also known as a philanthropist, always giving to others. One unique way she did this is through her Imagination Library, a charity she founded to honor her father who couldn’t read or write. Thankfully, he lived long enough to see its success. To date, the program has distributed approximately 300 million books to children from birth to age 5. (Including my own grandchildren!) Since 1995, the program has expanded to other countries like Canada, Ireland, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Parton said in the interview with NPR News, “I think if you can read, it gives you wings to fly anywhere you want to go.” For the record, I agree.
She further showed her generosity by giving families affected by the wildfires in Gatlinburg in 2016. Her My People relief campaign raised nearly $9 million and gave $1,000 per month to families that were affected by the tragedy for up to six months.
Dolly also gave $1 million dollars to Vanderbilt help develop the Moderna vaccine for Covid-19, and her businesses donated $2 million dollars to Hurricane Helene relief for those affected in East Tennessee in 2024. Local reporting referred to her as a “catalyst for kindness” and a “beacon of light and relief’ to those who were affected.
On Nov. 16, 2025, at age 79, Dolly received an honorary Oscar- the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her charitable work.
As if that’s not enough, she also became quite an astute businesswoman when on May 3, 1986 she opened Dollywood, a theme park that bears her name and continues to grow.
She also collaborated with James Patterson on the bestselling book “Run Rose Run” in 2021. It was accompanied by an album written entirely by Parton and they both proved to be a commercial success. In 2022, Dolly entered a partnership with Duncan Hines featuring a variety of southern-inspired box dessert mixes, and it should come as no surprise that this too is flourishing.
Dolly herself once said in an interview with Barbara Walters, “I want people to know there is a brain underneath this wig, and a heart underneath these boobs.”
Well, Dolly your first charted single may have been “Dumb Blonde’,” but I think you’ve proven to EVERYONE you’re ANYTHING but that!
Though Dolly may be gone physically, her legacy will carry on in a number of ways.
The exhibit Dolly Parton: Journey of A Seeker Runs through September 2026 at The Country Music Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville. Her SongTeller Hotel is set to open later this month along with her Life of Many Colors Museum on the third floor.
Dolly: A True Original Musical is expected to open on Broadway on Jan. 19, on what would’ve been her 81st birthday.
There is even a plan by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to rename the Nashville International Airport after her! A petition supporting this change received more than 130,000 signatures!
In a WKRN News 2 tribute I watched shortly after her death when asked how she wanted to be remembered, she said, “I want to be remembered as someone who uplifted people, someone who tried.”
I also read that she often ended her show with her iconic song “I Will Always Love You” in gratitude for her fans, though we all know that it was written for different reasons.
Well Dolly, I think it’s safe to say people all over the world will ALWAYS love you too, not only for the life you lived, but also the many lives you’ve changed for the better!
Yes, she set the bar of excellence we should ALL strive for!
I’d like to thank the customer who stopped to share the news of her passing with me. She even shared the song, “My Tennessee Mountain Home” that I wasn’t familiar with. In just a few words I knew it was unmistakably Dolly.
On a lighter note, her passing also reminded me of an experience I had with one of my customers when Dolly herself appeared on the cover of The Contributor. An older lady pulled into the parking lot and asked me to sing “I Will Always Love You,” but when I started to sing, she quickly interrupted saying, “No, dear, NOT Dolly. Whitney!”
I said, “You do realize I’m a poor white chick, right?”
She just smiled and said she knew I could do it.
I told her, “Well, I think I’m gonna need something to drink in order to do that.”
She went into the store and bought me a beer! I told her I didn’t drink beer, I just wanted some water. She went back and exchanged it, and I gave it my best shot. When I finished, she said, “Now if you wanna do my favorite Dolly song, that would be “Coat Of Many Colors.” After I sang that, she gave me a nice tip and away she went. Thanks for the memory Dolly!