Dolly Parton, the beloved country music superstar, died on August 25 at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy that extends far beyond her groundbreaking musical career.
A Life in Music and Beyond
Parton's impact on music was immense. She leaves behind more than 3,000 songs, including "Jolene," which Billboard editors selected as the Best Country Song of All Time. But her influence reached well beyond the charts.
Her songs often tackled difficult subjects that were rarely addressed in country music at the time. In 1968, she wrote "The Bridge," about a pregnant woman who dies by suicide after being abandoned by her lover. A year later, she released "Down From Dover," which told the story of a pregnant teenager whose parents send her away and whose baby dies during birth. The song was reportedly banned from radio stations, which took it to be about a woman's body.
Parton's lyrics also challenged double standards. At the Newport Folk Festival in 2019, she sang: "My mistakes are no worse than yours just because I'm a woman." She explained to the crowd that the song referenced a frank conversation she had with her husband soon after their marriage, when he asked if she had been with other men.
A Quiet Philanthropist
Parton's generosity was as legendary as her music. Her Imagination Library, which provided free monthly books to children from birth to age five, operated for more than 30 years and served more than 3 million children. She gave $1 million to Vanderbilt University to help develop the COVID-19 vaccine. After she made millions from Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You," she quietly bought a building in a Black neighborhood in Nashville as a way to give back to that community. In 2022, Jeff Bezos, through the Bezos Courage and Civility Award, gave Parton $100 million to donate to charities of her choice.
Standing by Her Principles
Parton generally declined to discuss politics, but she made her values clear. In 2018, she renamed her Dixie Stampede dinner attraction to Dolly Parton's Stampede. In a 2020 interview with Billboard, she explained: "When they said 'Dixie' was an offensive word, I thought, 'Well, I don't want to offend anybody. We'll just call it The Stampede.' As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don't be a dumbass. That's where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose."
In that same interview, she expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and peaceful protests: "I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen," she said. "And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!"
A Feminist Icon, Even If She Didn't Claim the Label
Parton never embraced the feminist label, eschewing it when asked, just as she carefully avoided political labels. But her life choices, social alliances, and lyrics made clear her fierce independence. In a 1987 issue of Ms. magazine, which featured Parton as one of its "Women of the Year," feminist pioneer Gloria Steinem wrote: "People who haven't listened to Dolly Parton or to feminism may be surprised to learn that they go together. She has used her business sense to bring other women and poor people along with her. And her flamboyant style has turned all the devalued symbols of women to her own ends." Steinem added: "If feminism means each of us finding our unique power, and helping other women to do the same, Dolly Parton certainly has done both."
Lynn Melnick, author of "I've Had to Think Up a Way to Survive: On Trauma, Persistence, and Dolly Parton," said: "She didn't tell us she was a feminist. She showed us – in her actions and her words and in her songs. And I think that's why people loved her so much."
Parton's warmth and professionalism were also notable. Billboard recalled a 6:00 m. interview with Parton that lasted exactly 10 minutes, with Parton still answering a question as the time ran out. "She was zealously punctual," the publication noted.
Parton leaves behind an extraordinary musical catalog, a legacy of kindness and generosity, and a message of love and compassion that transcended political and social divides.