In remembrance of Dolly Parton.

Dolly Parton – Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, TN (09/24/2011) courtesy of Openverse

Dolly Parton: January 19, 1946 –August 25, 2026

On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, country multi-platinum singer/musician “Queen of Country Music” Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dolly Parton has led an extraordinary life, transitioning from a childhood of poverty in Appalachia to becoming the globally renowned “Queen of Country Music”.

Dolly was born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, being the fourth of 12 children, raised in a one-room cabin that lacked electricity and running water. At the age of six, she began singing in church and, as a teenager, performed on local radio and television. Immediately after graduating high school in 1964, she relocated to Nashville, where she met her husband, Carl Dean, on her very first day.

Dolly had penned 3,000+ songs, considering herself primarily a songwriter. Her iconic repertoire features songs such as “Coat of Many Colors,” “Jolene,”  my personal favorite “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You.”  Dolly achieved 25 Number 1 country singles and has sold over 100 million records globally. Dolly has been inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Dolly co-established the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which has significantly contributed to that local economy. She initiated the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, providing millions of free books to children.

Dolly Parton will be missed by very many, and my prayers go to her whole family, friends then and now, and for all the people who she has ever touched, including the followers that will miss her dearly.

Dolly Parton’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame courtesy of Openverse

Remembering Dolly Parton – 1946-2026