Dolly Parton left the mountains of East Tennessee the day after she graduated high school to chase her dream of becoming a country music star in Nashville. But while she was away touring across the country, performing on stages and dazzling on movie sets, home never really left her.
Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80.
“I’m the only person that ever left the Smoky Mountains and took them with her,” Dolly told Knox News in 2023. It was the kind of joke that only Parton could make, but it’s true. Every song she wrote, every story she told and every gift she gave reflected where she came from and the people who shaped her.
“Home is in my heart,” she said. “I'm so proud to be a Tennessee girl, and I'm proud to be a Smoky Mountain girl.”
Dolly’s roots were
planted in a rural Sevier County two-room cabin that housed a family of 14. She was just 10 years old when she got her first taste of stardom on the Cas Walker “Farm and Home Hour” variety show in Knoxville.
And as she became an international icon because ofclassic songs such as “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” by donating millions to charitable causes, and her genuine compassion for others, she never stopped pouring back into her beloved community.
The Knoxville News Sentinel celebrates Dolly’s big dreams, her generosity and the kindness she leaves behind. From Dollywood to the Imagination Library, to her illustrious music career and the joy she brought to all, here’s why Dolly Parton’s sparkling bright light will never dim in the Smoky Mountains or around the world.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dolly Parton was always 'proud to be a Smoky Mountain girl.' We loved her for it
