Dolly Parton’s remarkable journey from a tiny Tennessee cabin to global stardom has come to an end.
The country music legend died peacefully in Nashville on Tuesday at 80, her family said.
How did a girl who wrote her first song about a homemade corncob doll become one of music’s biggest names?
Parton never stopped writing, performing and reinventing herself.
Born into a large, poor family, she began singing on local radio at 11 and appeared at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry by 13.
A Lasting Legacy
Her partnership with Porter Wagoner helped launch her career.
Songs such as “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You” turned her into a songwriting powerhouse.
But Parton was far more than a musician. She acted in films, created Dollywood and funded causes close to her heart, including literacy programmes and vaccine research.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver said, “By her example, we believed anything was possible.”
With more than 100 million records sold, 11 Grammys and thousands of songs written, Parton leaves behind an extraordinary catalogue.
Yet perhaps she summed up her legacy best herself: “The songs are my legacy.” And what a legacy it is.
