DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Legend Dolly Parton Dead at 80

Dolly Parton -- the country music icon behind some of the biggest songs ever recorded -- has died.

The legendary singer, songwriter and actress leaves behind a career spanning more than six decades ... with hits including "Jolene," "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You."

Dolly became one of the most beloved figures in entertainment ... earning countless awards while building an empire that stretched far beyond music.

As we reported ... she also abruptly canceled a Dollywood appearance earlier this month after her doctor advised her not to travel while she dealt with dehydration and occasional dizziness.

Her sister, Freida Parton, had also asked fans to pray for Dolly last October ... saying she hadn't been feeling her best.

The two were married for 58 years and never had children.

Dolly sold more than 100 million records worldwide during her legendary career ... cementing herself as one of the best-selling artists of all time.

She also made a major mark in Hollywood, starring in films including "9 to 5" and "Steel Magnolias" ... and earned an Oscar nomination for the title song from "9 to 5."

Her impact went far beyond entertainment, too ... with her Imagination Library giving millions of books to children around the world.

From growing up dirt poor in Tennessee to becoming one of the biggest stars on the planet ... Dolly's story was truly one of a kind.

She was 80.

RIP

https://www.tmz.com/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-dead/

Dolly Parton is a generous philanthropist who has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to childhood literacy, healthcare, and disaster relief.The Imagination Library

Founded the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to support education in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee.

Launched Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in 1995 to mail free monthly books to children from birth to age five.Expanded the program globally to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, and Australia, sending over 270 million books.

Healthcare and Medical ResearchDonated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020 for COVID-19 research that helped fund the Moderna vaccine.

Supported the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital and LeConte Medical Center with major donations for pediatric care and cancer treatment.

Disaster Relief and Community SupportCreated the My People Fund in 2016 to give $1,000 a month to families who lost homes in the Great Smoky Mountain wildfires.

Raised $13 million through a telethon for wildfire victims and later supported flood relief in Tennessee.

Covered 100% of tuition, fees, and books for employees at her theme park properties seeking higher education.

Dolly Partin was first and foremost a fantastic human being. We could all love to see more such people living among us.

She had the ability to laugh at herself too. One of her most famous quotes is “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap”—is her witty way of embracing an over-the-top, glamorous, and artificial style that she loves.

Having lived here in Tennessee for well over a decade now I have come to appreciate even more what a treasure she truly was and the world will miss her.

Was just about to post.

Great article with a bunch of pics here:
https://people.com/dolly-parton-dead-7565853


R.I.P. Queen

It's a much better and more informative article than anything i posted. I hope people click on the link to read it.

This one's hard. "Icon" is so watered down nowadays. Maybe it's that a lot of us are getting older and remember when the stage was a lot bigger. Maybe it's just me. I feel like I could live to 120 and likely not see another icon like this one. An icon measured in heart and compassion... not likes, views and clicks.

What a spirit... what a voice.

Between the words "icon" and "hero" I hear you. Overused words and the real ones often times get lost in the sauce, overlooked and under appreciated as a result.

She was a lot of icon and somewhat of a hero to a lot of people. In the truest meaning of the words.

A very sad day. She will be missed. She was a celebrity that gave back to the community. RIP Dolly.

The world needs more Dollys not less.

It's a sad day. Having lived in Tennessee for 50 years now, she was always Dolly from Locust Ridge. Grew up in abject poverty. No running water, no electricity. She goes on to being a singer, songwriter, actress, great businesswoman, philanthropist, and just a superstar personality known world wide.

I'd say that was a life well lived and well done! Not only I, "We" will always love you.

Rest in Peace Dolly from Locust Ridge, Tn. No doubt Heaven welcomes you with open arms!

Well said, my friend.

Sad to see her go, but hopefully she is with the Lord now.

I can't speak for everybody but if she isn't, most of us don't stand much of a chance.

Saw where it is estimated that she donated over 500 million dollars to a variety of causes in her lifetime. She was both blessed and was a blessing.

Amen.

Only one thing matters; Did she put her faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior? If so, she's with him now.

If not for Dolly Pigeon Forge Would still look like the first Photo

https://preview.redd.it/pigeon-forg...ac5da22d0c917501b1e8a7d09c150ed69556cbe4

Saw this on FB. Normally I would at least attempt to vet the info. With Dolly, we can probably assume it's all true:

In 1988 Dolly Parton pulled every 7th and 8th grader in Sevier County into a room and told them to pick a buddy.
She made them sign a contract.. if BOTH graduate, she hands you both $500. One fails, nobody gets paid.
The county dropout rate went from 35% to 6%.
She handed out the checks herself.
In 1989 she offered $500 to every kid in the county who wanted to go to the local college.
When Gatlinburg burned in 2016, she sent 900 families $1,000 a month for six months.
You've probably heard that part.
Here's the part you haven't:
The fund raised more than expected, so she showed up in May and handed every one of those families another $5,000 on top.
Then she quietly put $3 million into the recovery group that handles the years after the news trucks leave.
She built her county an entire hospital.
She played a benefit concert in 2007, Dollywood and the Stampede matched it, and LeConte Medical Center opened in 2010 with a birthing unit and a women's center in it.
In 2022 she started covering 100% of tuition, books, and fees for Dollywood employees.
Full-time, part-time, AND seasonal.
In 1991 she paid for a bald eagle sanctuary because the birds couldn't be released back into the wild, no press release.
And when Hurricane Helene came through here in Western North Carolina, she wrote a personal check for $1 million and her companies matched it.
She didn't owe North Carolina anything, but she helped us anyway.
She started the Imagination Library because her daddy couldn't read or write. Before he passed, he told her it was the most important thing she ever did. Copied
Rest in Peace, Dolly

Se never sought attention for the things she did. She was a person who truly did these things out of the goodness of her heart.

As facts have unfolded it has been revealed that she died by losing her bout with cancer. She never told the public. She always presented it as something less serious that she was doing well with and would return soon with that big Dolly smile on her face. She didn't want to worry her fans. Even in death she requested and will receive a small private funeral with only close family and closest of friends.

Her home is here close to Nashville. She lived about 20 minutes from me. The outpouring of love is beyond imagination. It's my opinion that this is one of those rare occasions where someone earned every bit of it by her actions and deeds. There will never be another Dolly.

I had Chat write a song...

"Write me a poem about some of the great things Dolly Parton did in life; especially efforts to help others. Write it as if it's actually a country song in Dolly's style."




# A Little More Love

**Verse 1**
She came from a cabin where the hard times grew,
Where a dollar was a fortune and a dream had to do.
With a heart full of music and a pocket half bare,
She climbed every mountain but remembered who was there.

She could've built a kingdom with the fortune she made,
But she looked for the children who were scared and afraid.
And she said, *“If you're blessed, then you know what to do—*
*You don't keep all the sunshine, you let some shine through.”*

**Chorus**
So she gave a little hope, gave a little light,
Gave a little love when the world wasn't right.
From a child with a book to a family in need,
She planted little kindness and she watched it grow like seed.
And if heaven keeps a record of the good that people do,
I reckon there's a mighty long list with Dolly's name on it too.

**Verse 2**
There were children in the mountains who needed a chance,
So she put books in their hands and gave learning a dance.
Millions of little stories went traveling around,
Opening up worlds that they never had found.

And when folks were hurting, she didn't just pray,
She rolled up her sleeves and she found a way.
When fires took homes and floods took land,
She showed up with compassion and a helping hand.

**Chorus**
She gave a little hope, gave a little light,
Gave a little love when the world wasn't right.
Never asking who you were or what side you stood on,
Just looking for somebody who needed someone strong.
And if heaven keeps a record of the good that people do,
I reckon there's a mighty long list with Dolly's name on it too.

**Verse 3**
She gave to the sick, she gave to the poor,
Gave scholarships and dreams and then she gave some more.
But maybe her greatest gift was something you can't see—
The way she made a stranger feel like family.

She laughed at herself and she never acted grand,
Though she could've had the world eating out of her hand.
She knew where she came from, she knew what was true:
A little more kindness can carry you through.

**Bridge**
Now fame is a feather and fortune can fly,
And the brightest of diamonds eventually lose their shine.
But the good that you give when nobody sees
Can live on forever like roots in the trees.

**Final Chorus**
So give a little hope, give a little light,
Give somebody courage when they're losing the fight.
Open up your heart, open up your door,
'Cause you never get poorer when you give a little more.
And when my own road ends and I look back someday,
I hope I left some sunshine along the way.

**Tag**
'Cause a life ain't measured by the money you make—
It's the hearts you lift and the lives that you change.
And if there's one thing Dolly's taught this old world to do,
It's leave a little more love than you found when you came through.

I know that none of this is about me but my parents grew up just as poor as Dolly did in very much the same living conditions. They told me until they were older they never knew they were poor because everyone around them was poor too. I suppose that's why my favorite song of hers is Coat of Many Colors because it reminds me so much of my parents who passed log ago.

Same here. My mom's side spent generations in the Caney Valley Loop in Surgoinsville, TN. Her first husband was her next-door neighbor through her entire youth. One way in, one way out. Dirt roads for miles, small farm after small farm. A truck that ran was like a Cadillac. A bicycle, every kids Harley.

My grandma lived in the same house till 93, still worked the garden. We were always greeted by a yard full of chickens as we drove up the long drive.

I think it's one of those "if you know, you know" things.

It sure is. My dad was born in 1930. And like they say depressions hit poor people first and they recover last. I'll just say that the way he grew up never left his memories. He was tight with a dollar and if I wanted something i didn't "need" I had to work to at least help pay for it. He grew up in Clay County KY and my mom in Owsley County KY.

When he left the mountains he went into the military and then to Dayton to get a union job. They both worked when I was small and bought three homes in Dayton only to flip them and move into the country. We always raised a huge garden and grew our own beef on my uncle's farm. My mom canned food from the garden. My parents made a good living and provided for our family well.

Much like yourself I remember visiting my grandma. She lived on a dirt road with no running water or plumbing. It was a different world.

I'll just say my dad taught me if something was worth having it was worth working for and to make the most of your money. I know compared to many parents he was stricter than most. As a kid I thought that was mean yet at the same time both of my parents made sure I knew that I was loved. But after growing up I appreciated every lesson he ever taught me.

So yeah, "if you know you know". And in this case I think we both know.