Country music icon Dolly Parton didn't just work 9 to 5. She also worked 5 to 9.
In the final months of her life, the 80-year-old country music luminary was still building a Nashville hotel, a museum dedicated to her life, a coffee line, new Dollywood attractions, a roadside travel stop and several entertainment projects still in development.
Even as health problems limited her travel and public appearances, she continued working from Nashville.
"Even though I'm still healin', I'm still workin'," Parton told People Magazine in an interview published Aug. 21, four days before her death at age 80.
Parton had spent decades expanding her name far beyond music, building a rhinestone-clad business empire as colorful, ambitious and unmistakably sparkly
as she was. At the time of her death, several of her newest ventures were just opening, nearing completion or still being developed.
On Aug. 26, Parton's team said those projects will continue, following a roadmap the entertainer helped create before her death.
"Dolly worked up until the day she died," longtime manager Danny Nozell said in a statement. "She loved seeing her dreams come to life, and loved knowing her work brought people joy."
Nozell said Parton spent the past several years working with a handpicked team to create "a project roadmap that will guide us for decades to come." That includes unreleased music, products, books, experiences and campaigns that Parton personally worked on or approved.
"If you see unreleased music, products, books, experiences, and campaigns launched through official Dolly Parton channels, you can have confidence in knowing that she placed her personal stamp on it," Nozell said.
A 'Cup of Ambition,' more business ventures
Cup of Ambition Coffee, created in partnership with Community Coffee, will launch online Sept. 29, with a retail rollout planned for spring 2027. The truck stop sells cups for travelers "travelin' thru."
Parton had also been working with Purina on a line of dog treats, her team confirmed, which is expected to arrive in early 2027. A Dolly bedding and home decor collection is planned for the third quarter of 2027.
Other consumer projects already on the calendar include Dolly Dolls, launching online Sept. 15; "Dolly On The Holly," coming during the 2026 holiday season; and a Kendra Scott x Dolly "9 to 5" collection expected in January 2027.
Parton's SongTeller Hotel is scheduled to begin welcoming guests Sept. 14, with a grand opening Sept. 29.
Inside the property will be the Life of Many Colors Museum, a 20,000-square-foot attraction dedicated to telling Parton's story. The museum's grand opening is also scheduled for Sept. 29.
The museum is being curated by Parton's niece, Rebecca Seaver, who has spent years helping preserve her aunt's costumes, photographs, memorabilia and other artifacts.
Seaver told The Tennessean earlier this year that Parton was deeply involved in the planning.
"She is involved in every single piece of everything she does," Seaver said. "All of her businesses, all of her music, all of her work. She is highly invested in everything, no matter how big the enterprise is."
Parton knew exactly what the team planned to put inside the museum, Seaver said.
The experience is designed to be more than a collection of spangly costumes. Its exhibits trace Parton's life from the foothills of the Smoky Mountains to Nashville and Hollywood and back again, encompassing her music, family, philanthropy and career.
A section dedicated to Parton's Imagination Library includes a separate tunnel entrance for children.
"If they feel a little more generous and a little more brave after they leave the museum," Seaver said, "then I feel like we've done our job."
Parton told People that the larger Nashville project came together after she found a downtown building that finally felt right.
"I wanted to join all my Nashville friends downtown, but I didn't just want it to be another bar," she said.
'DOLLY: A True Original Musical'
Parton's team also confirmed several entertainment projects remained in development when she died.
"DOLLY: A True Original Musical," the Broadway production based on her life and music, is scheduled to begin previews Dec. 7. Opening night is Jan. 19, 2027, and tickets are currently on sale for performances through Nov. 21, 2027.
Other projects in the pipeline include a Dolly avatar show, a documentary about the musical, a Parton biopic, a docuseries, a scripted series and an animated "Billy the Kid" series. Her team said more details will be announced later.
Parton had revealed plans for the avatar project in her final People interview, published four days before her death.
Her team did not provide release dates for those projects but made clear that Parton's death would not end their development. Nozell said the group responsible for overseeing her legacy intends to complete "the many dreams she had yet to fulfill."
Final appearances
Some of Parton's newest projects opened just months — or days — before her death.
On June 24, Parton surprised guests at the opening of Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, along Interstate 65.
The flagship location is a partnership between Parton, her longtime manager Danny Nozell and Tennessean Travel Stop owner Gregory H. Sachs. It combines fuel services, food, shopping, live music and Tennessee-themed hospitality.
Parton arrived wearing blue-and-pink fringe and her signature stilettos before cutting a ribbon beneath an explosion of multicolored butterfly confetti.
She was still cracking jokes.
"I'm sure some of you want to know why I wanted a truck stop," Parton said. "Well, I couldn't leave it to beavers."
It became one of a few public appearances Parton made in 2026.
She appeared opening day at Dollywood in March, the business she helped transform into one of Tennessee's biggest tourist destinations was still growing, too.
The park debuted NightFlight Expedition in August, its 11th coaster and the largest single attraction investment in Dollywood's history.
Parton was scheduled to attend the ride's dedication Aug. 14 but her doctors advised her against traveling to Pigeon Forge. Instead, she appeared by video with colorful butterfly wings fluttering behind her.
"My little butterfly wings are getting tired," Parton said before explaining that she was dehydrated and her doctor had "kind of clipped my wings."
Parton spent a lifetime proving business could be more than a rich man's game. In the end, she built something richer: a legacy designed to keep giving long after she clocked out.
Bryan West is a music reporter at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton's business empire lives on. What's still to come?
