Country music legend Dolly Parton has died today, aged 80, after a short-lived battle with cancer.
She is remembered as a renowned musician, an 11-time Grammy Award winner, amassing more than 50 nominations. Dolly released 49 studio albums, with some of the 3,000 songs she wrote over her career including the infamous tracks “I Will Always Love You”, “Jolene”, and “9-5”.
Dolly is also remembered through her philanthropic work. She started the Dollywood Foundation in 1988, in support of childhood literacy, medical research, and helping people in need.
She started the My People Fund after the 2016 Smokey Mountain wildfires in Tennessee, raising more than $13 million for those affected. Dolly made a $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in 2020, which helped fund research that led to Moderna COVID-19 vaccine amidst the global pandemic.
The foundation has a large focus on her home state Tennessee, with Dolly initially starting the foundation to reduce high school dropout rates where she grew up.
The Imagination Library was started in 1995, inspired by her father who was not able to read or write. The Imagination Library delivers books each month to children aged newborn-five and has gone global in doing so. Books are now also delivered to Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, surpassing more than 300 million books worldwide.
Dolly leaves behind a lasting legacy of humanity, kindness, and hope. Her philanthropic efforts have helped millions of people around the world.
Image courtesy www.mississippilive.org
