Remembering Dolly Parton, the queen of country music, beloved philanthropist, and defining American cultural icon
By: Kevin Vickery
On Tuesday, August 25th in Nashville, Tennessee, Dolly Parton’s nephew, Bryant Seaver announced via a video message on her official social media accounts that the iconic entertainer had passed away peacefully at the age of 80 saying that she had died “leaving behind a legacy built on hard work, unmatched songwriting talent, and deep compassion for others.”
He added that “Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever. – Dolly was a farmer, just like her Daddy. – He farmed the soil; she farmed songs and happiness.” Dolly’s passing follows a period of declining health and comes just over a year after the death of Carl Thomas Dean, her husband of nearly six decades.
Dolly’s journey to global stardom began on January 19th, 1946 when she was the fourth of 12 children born, in a one-room cabin in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Her family lived in rural poverty, but her mother filled their home with traditional Appalachian music and stories. Young Dolly dreamed of a big life far beyond the Smoky Mountains. She learned to play the guitar at an early age and began writing songs before she could fully read or write.
Immediately after graduating high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville with a bag of clothes, a head full of ambition and a passion for making music. Her big break came when country star Porter Wagoner invited her to join his popular weekly television show in 1967. That partnership launched her national career. Her debut solo album, “Hello, I’m Dolly” was released that same year and immediately placed her on the country music map.
After seven years, Dolly outgrew her role as Wagoner’s duet partner, a departure that inspired one of her most famous and emotional tracks, “I Will Always Love You.” Written in 1973 as a heartfelt farewell to Wagoner, the song reached number-one on the country charts twice and then became a global phenomenon two decades later when Whitney Houston recorded her powerhouse pop rendition for the film, “The Bodyguard” in 1992.
Parton’s songwriting genius extended across multiple generations. She penned enduring classics like her signature hit, “Jolene,” a haunting tale of a woman begging a more glamorous, beautiful woman not to steal her man which landed Dolly her second number-one hit.
Her autobiographical song, “Coat of Many Colors,” a poignant tribute to her mother, Avis Lee Parton’s resourcefulness tells the true, tender story of her impoverished childhood in the Smoky Mountains and a special patchwork coat her mother made for her out of rags. The actual coat which inspired the song is on display at Dollywood theme park and its story has gone on to become a children’s book and a TV movie.
Personally I’ve always been a fan of her lesser known number-one, crossover pop-disco hit, “Two Doors Down” from 1977 which Dolly wrote while staying at a Howard Johnson Motor Inn and was alone in her room eating a bland protein shake while her band and crew were in another room two doors down, eating pizza and having a good time.
Dolly Parton also saw great success in duets and collaborations throughout her career. In 1983, “Islands in the Stream”, her duet with Kenny Rogers sold over 3 million units and went to number-one, leading them to another hit with, “Real Love” and eventually recording a Christmas album together.
In 1987 Dolly Parton collaborated with two of country and pop music’s other greatest voices, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt to form, the super-group, “Trio” and released the platinum selling album of the same name.
In 1993 she joined forces with two other country music legends, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette to release the gold record, “Honky Tonk Angels” featuring their version of the classic, “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”.
Dolly went on to record duets with many of today’s biggest names like, Miley Cyrus, Sabrina Carpenter, Sia, Jewel and even another super-group collaboration where she joined Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, and Queen Latifa for a modern reimagining of, her 1977 hit, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”.
Not only has Dolly Parton recorded with the biggest names in country music like, Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels and George Jones, in 2023, she released the album, “Rockstar” featuring duets with hard rock and heavy metal giants such as, Sting, John Fogerty, Kid Rock, Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks, Peter Frampton. Joan Jett and many more.
Over a career spanning six decades, Dolly amassed a catalog of timeless Anthems notching 25 Number-one singles on the Billboard country charts and sold more than 100 million records worldwide. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, including her 2011 Lifetime Achievement Grammy, three American Music Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards, 13 Academy of Country Music Awards and had also been nominated for two Academy Awards, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and has received the Living Legend Award from the Library of Congress, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors.
Not content with conquering only country music, Dolly expanded her reach into Hollywood. She made her feature film debut in “9 to 5”, starring alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the 1980 hit comedy about three overworked female office workers who get revenge on their sexist, boss by kidnapping him and taking control of the company. Parton also wrote the film’s iconic theme song, which reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, won two Grammy Awards, and earned her an Academy Award nomination.
She later starred in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” alongside Burt Reynolds and as quick-witted Truvy Jones in the heart wrenching, “Steel Magnolias” cementing her status as a magnetic screen presence.
As an entrepreneur, Dolly brought joy to millions through Dollywood, her famous theme park located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Opened in 1986, the park revitalized the local economy of Sevier County and became a beloved family destination, reflecting her deep pride in her East Tennessee roots. Anchored by her co-ownership of Dollywood, she built a massive business empire spanning theme parks, entertainment, retail, and hospitality with her brand ventures including cosmetics, Southern foods, pet lines, and of course her music publishing catalog.
Perhaps Dolly’s greatest accomplishment is her legacy of generosity and literacy.
Despite her massive entertainment and business success, she often said she wanted to be remembered most for her charity work. In 1995, she launched the Imagination Library, a book-gifting program in honor of her father, Robert Lee Parton who struggled with reading and writing. The initiative sends a free book every month to children from birth until they start school. It has mailed hundreds of millions of books to children across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Her philanthropic efforts extended far beyond literacy. She funded disaster relief funds for victims of Tennessee wildfires, supported medical research, and famously donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help fund early research for a COVID-19 vaccine.
As the nation mourns the loss of an irreplaceable icon, tributes poured in immediately from fellow musicians, actors, and world leaders, all expressing their special connections to Dolly, a rare unifying figure in American culture. Landmark buildings across the nation like the Space Needle in Seattle, Empire State Building in New York City, and the White House in Washington DC all illuminated in pink light as tribute to the beloved American entertainer.
Social media was flooded with these sentiments like, Celine Dion’s Instagram post saying, “We will now be missing one of the most joyful voices this world has ever known. – Thank you for the music, the laughter, and the love you gave us all. – We will always love you.”
Oprah Winfrey wrote, “This girl from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee dreamed a life and then lived a life bigger than she could have ever imagined, giving so generously to others in ways we saw and ways we didn’t. – No one like her. – She brought the light, and we are all better because she was here. – God bless you, Dolly – you earned your wings.”
My good friend, fellow columnist, and Dolly Parton super-fan for life, Blaise (The Baker) Doubman posted to Facebook, “Dolly played a part in my life daily. – Whenever I needed her, she was there. – I followed her life, bought all of her merchandise, visited DollyWood, saw her in concert, was the biggest fan of all of her movie rolls and loved, bought and listened to all of her music over and over again. – She may not have known me, but I knew her inside and out. She was there for me through all of the good times but more importantly all of the bad times. – Always there to offer a song or some wisdom. – When I heard the news, I lost my breath. – I miss her already. – Thank you all for your phone calls, emails, and text messages checking on me. – And Dolly, thank you. – I will always look to you. – And, I will always love you.”
Fans gathered outside the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and at the gates of Dollywood to leave flowers, sing her songs, and share memories of a woman who treated every stranger like an old friend.
I think that’s a huge part of why Dolly Parton’s death is felt by so many. Even if you weren’t necessarily a fan of her music, she was still like an old friend. Her experience and wisdom made her the person who always had the right thing to say and did it in a clever yet caring way. She lead by example and overcame any obstacle presented to become a true, “rags to riches” story.
She managed to develop herself into a character whose image was as easily recognizable as it was timeless. From her “Backwoods Barbie” image, with blonde wigs and long lashes to her rhinestones and form-fitting sequined fashion, her visual presence was as unmistakably Dolly as her soft, song-bird voice, sincere lyrics, folksy wisdom, and quick Southern wit. She often joked of herself saying, “It costs a lot to make a person look this cheap.”
Dolly was known for many great other quotes like, “I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know that I’m not blonde.” On life and wisdom, she said, “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
My absolute favorite quote she ever offered was on same-sex marriage saying, “Sure, I think gay couples should be allowed to marry. – They should be allowed to suffer just like the rest of us do.” A 2020 quote from Dolly sums up her life the best when she said, “I just wanted to do really good work. – And I wanted it to make a really big difference in the world.” I think it’s safe to say that she did exactly that.
In her later years, Dolly being aware of her own legacy, began recording vocal parts to many of the hundreds of yet-unreleased songs she wrote throughout her career with the goal of leaving a body of work to be released after her death saying, “Any producer anywhere in the world, when I’m gone, they could take my songs, just the click track and my vocal and build a complete arrangement. – That will go on forever.” Adding, “At the end of the day, I hope that I will be remembered as a good songwriter. – The songs are my legacy.”
I believe that Dolly’s legacy will be far more than the songs, the voice, the image, the humor, the movies, the business ventures or even the philanthropy. While all of that is part of her legacy, the type of person she was underneath all that is what drove that success and what should shine through the brightest. She may have been petite but inside her was a huge heart, and a mind brilliant enough to laugh off the jokes and turn them into a business model. Her determination and spirit were unbreakable. She was a feminist who never used the word, a superstar who never left home, and a believer who never made you watch her pray. Her true legacy is love, kindness, and resilience.
In a world full of Kardashians, we need more Dolly Partons.
Dolly is survived by six of her siblings and an extended family of nieces, nephews, and admirers across the globe. Her family announced that a small, private service will be held, while her beloved theme park, Dollywood, announced it would remain open in accordance with her lifelong philosophy that “the show must go on.”
For more information about Dolly’s legacy visit her official website at dollyparton.com.
Dive deeper into her life through the following books:
“My Life and Other Unfinished Business”
“Behind the Seans: My Life in Rhinestones”
“Songteller: My Life in Lyrics”
“She Came By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women who Lived Her Songs”
“Good Lookin’ Cookin: A Year of Meals”
“Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton”
“Dolly Parton, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage”
“Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You”
“Dolly Parton: Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s”
“Run Rose Run”
“Just the Way I Am: Dolly Parton”
To learn more about her beloved charity go to imaginationlibrary.com
Make Some Noise 