How do you begin to mourn Dolly Parton?
On Tuesday, Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver announced that the 80-year-old global icon had died, immediately jumpstarting a tidal wave of tributes from fans, friends, and the musical voices who count her as an integral
inspiration.
Since her start in the music industry in the 1960s, Parton used her working-class roots and rhinestone personality to redefine what success in the country music world could look like. With hits “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” and “I Will Always Love You,” Parton cemented her place in music history with a charming ease, shining from venue to venue; on records, television, stages, and eventually the big screen. She was inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. But the legacy Parton leaves behind is one that extends far beyond her musical prowess.
The East Tennessee native was a longtime ally of marginalized groups and a dedicated philanthropist who developed a reputation for using her vast wealth to give back whenever she could. Parton’s passion projects were wide-ranging, from literacy and graduation rates in her home state to bald eagle conservation to donations for the development of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.
And yet the biggest evidence of Parton’s heart is the stories that people will never know: the quietly passed checks, secretly bought high school uniforms, delivered flowers, paid rents, and financed educations. The singer was so well known for helping out that fake stories are hard to refute, because even extraordinary acts of kindness sound like something Parton would do.
In 2022, she accepted the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. “I just give from my heart,” Parton said. “I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m gonna do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will.”
Rolling Stone spoke with the organizations Parton was closest with to discuss the singer’s contributions, her philanthropic legacy, and her limitless heart.
“My people” — Dolly’s love for Sevier County
Fame can change folks. But for the people of Sevier County, Tennessee, where Parton grew up, the singer’s fame only enriched their community.
For former Sevier County historian Carroll McMahan, 76, his memories of the superstar begin during his time at Sevier County High School. He was a freshman when Parton was a senior and tells Rolling Stone that her philanthropy to the county began well before she was ever a household name. “Even when she had very little, she was always a giving person,” he says. “She had determination like no one I’ve ever known.”
“We’ve been a tourist area since the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park back in 1934. But the biggest catalyst to the tourism industry since the park was established was when Dollywood opened [in 1986],” he adds. “The opportunities, the jobs it created — it made all the difference.”
In 1988, Parton started the Buddy System at the high school, putting students in pairs and offering them $500 scholarships for every pair that graduated together. In 1993, this was expanded to other high schools in the area.
In 2016, Parton started the “My People” fund after a fatal Gatlinburg, Tennessee, fire that year killed 14 people and destroyed around 2,500 structures. According to an estimate from Sevier County mayor Larry Waters, Parton donated around $14 million to help Tennessee victims of natural disasters. She also gave $3 million to the county to help expand and renovate their senior center.
“She was constantly doing what she could to make sure that her mountain people had as many opportunities as possible, whether it be jobs, whether it be promoting the area so that they had an opportunity to better themselves from an economic standpoint,” Waters says. “I knew her ever since I could remember. You loved being around her, and you could tell she loved people. What I feel are the mountain people’s best qualities, she represented.”
A constant fundraiser for medical care
Throughout her life, Parton was a constant supporter for hospitals and medical centers in need, especially in Tennessee. In 2007, she hosted a benefit concert for Sevierville’s new hospital. At LeConte Medical Center, they recognized the contribution by creating the Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services.
In 2017, Parton donated $1 million to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, often visiting children and their families. During the pandemic, she also donated $1 million to help fund research on Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.
“Dolly was a global icon and a friend of Vanderbilt. Her amazing generosity, particularly of pediatric cancer and infectious disease research, has had a transformational impact on patient care and treatment,” said Jeff Balser, President and CEO of Vanderbilt Health and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that Dolly has helped save countless lives through her philanthropy.”
Case in point? In 2026, she released a charity version of her song “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” featuring Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire. All proceeds were earmarked for pediatric cancer research at Vanderbilt.
The dream of the Imagination Library
One of Parton’s most dedicated causes was national literacy. It was work close to her own heart since her own father was unable to read. “Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done,” Parton once said. “He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams. Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission.”
Parton’s Imagination Library started small with the idea to send children a monthly book in the mail to encourage reading. The program was launched in Sevier County in 1995. Every year it grew, providing more children with a collection of free books. Now, there are 3.2 million children in the U.S. enrolled in Parton’s Imagination Library. According to the program, one in six children under the age of five gets a book in the mail every month. The program has already given out more than 325 million books and expects to give 40 million books in 2026 alone.
“When I first got to know Dolly, I was really curious about what drives this woman. It hit me one day watching her: it was gratitude,” says Jeff Conyers, President of the Imagination Library. “She was so grateful to see all of those dreams come to life that she woke up and worked so hard every day to give back. She was as happy as she could be and tried to make everybody else as happy as they could be.”
A place to rest at the Salvation Army
Parton often told the story of a time when she was in Nashville with no money to get home for Christmas. She remembered the words of a dear uncle, who had told her, “If you’re lonely, go to the Salvation Army.” Parton volunteered to serve food that day and became a lifelong supporter of the non-profit.
Dale Bannon, the National Community Relations & Development Secretary of the Salvation Army, tells Rolling Stone that the late country singer made multiple private donations to the Salvation Army throughout her life. In 2023, she donated her time for a performance at the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day halftime show, a launch for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. (Parton donned the signature Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader outfit.) In addition to the show, she donated $1 million that year, funds that went to national food programs that fed “thousands of people.” She repeated the gift again — another $1 million — the next year.
“Dolly was someone who represented the best in each of us. She was an amazing humanitarian who had a heart for others. We considered her a friend who shared our calling to love and serve others,” Bannon says. “The way she supported nonprofits through her time, her platform, her finances were a testament of a shared desire to put faith in action. Our hope is that her generosity will live on. The greatest tribute that I think people can make is to carry forward the way Dolly lived.”
Parton’s support for the queer community
Parton was a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, doubling down on her belief of inclusion at a time when country music was less receptive. Her 2006 Oscar nomination was for the song “Travelin’ Thru,” for the award-winning movie TransAmerica.
“Dolly Parton was not only the ‘Queen of Country Music,’ but indeed the queen of inclusivity and philanthropy,” GLAAD’s President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “Parton’s warm spirit, kindheartedness and joie de vivre deeply resonated with the LGBTQ community, cementing her as a global queer icon whose art always held space for outsiders, no matter the risk. Parton’s entire career was built on love and respect for all, and her unwavering allyship is a legacy that will last forever.”
Flying high with Parton
While most people are familiar with Parton’s focus on literacy and aid, a less known aspect of her philanthropic work was bald eagle rehabilitation. The Dollywood aviary is one of the biggest shelters of “non-releasable” bald eagles in the U.S. When not working on the theme park’s Wings of America show, the birds receive care and treatment at the facility.
In 2003, she was awarded the Partnership award by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for her conservation efforts. According to Lori Moore, CEO of the American Eagle Foundation, many in the industry credit Parton’s early and visible efforts to the bald eagle’s removal from the endangered species list.
“Having her voice behind it — and also Challenger, who was the first flighted eagle flying at NFL stadiums — they were the voice. They were the impact that went out and brought the eagles’ plight to notoriety,” Moore says. “As I was walking into the theme park this morning, the song that was playing over the loudspeaker was ‘Get to Living.’ And that was Dolly. She may be gone, but she’s still alive in everything that she invested her heart into.”
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