The world is mourning Dolly Parton‘s death. Parton died at age 80, and her death was announced on Tuesday, August 25, in a video statement by her nephew Brian Seaver. The country music icon was many things: a talented singer, an unexpected fashion icon, a cookbook author, a philanthropist, and a friend to many, but how did she want to be remembered?
Dolly Parton’s Impressive Legacy
In an interview with The Independent in November 2023, the “9 to 5” singer revealed what she wanted people to remember most. “I want to be remembered as somebody who took her work serious, but not herself,” she said.“Someone who brought books to children all over the world. For the fact that I managed to make a living doing something I love to do. And as a caring, giving, working girl.”
In her interview, Parton expressed her desire for opposing political parties to get on, saying, “I worry about human beings.”
One of the achievements Parton was most proud of was her work on Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free books to children under five. “My dad couldn’t read or write, and that was kind of crippling to him,” she said in her 2020 documentary “The Library That Dolly Built,” E! News reports. “Of all the things I’ve done in my life—and it’s been a lot because I’ve been around a long time—this is one of the most precious things and the proudest I’ve been of any program I’ve ever been involved in, working with these kids.”
Dolly Parton Was an Original
The country star was known for her big heart, and she was celebrated for being different. In an interview with W magazine in June 2024, Miley Cyrus, Parton’s honorary goddaughter, offered a glimpse into who Parton was and how she showed thoughtfulness and affection to those she cared about.
She revealed Parton had sent her a fax. “No one else faxes. I literally have to access my lawyer’s office, because the lawyer is the only person who can still receive a fax,” Cyrus said. “Dolly wrote to me to say: ‘How much do I love you? As much as my heart can hold and as far as my arms can reach.’ It gets me choked up. I just love her so much. Last Christmas, she gave me a whole mannequin, done in her proportions and wearing her outfit. It’s so major.”
Remembering Dolly Parton’s Beautiful Life
Tributes have been pouring in for Parton after the heartbreaking news of her passing, and her family has shared a touching statement about her life and her death.
“My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you,” Seaver said in the video statement released on Instagram. “She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever.”
He continued, “Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy; he farmed the soil, she farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.”
