The life and times of Dolly Parton - 7th September 2026

Dolly Parton, who was known as 'the Queen of Country Music', has died. The American singer-songwriter was born 80 years ago in Tennessee.

Parton spent her childhood in the countryside. She grew up in poverty and was the fourth of 12 children.

Songwriting came naturally to Dolly, who wrote her first song aged 6. By 10, she was already employed singing on TV, and by 16 she'd begun writing songs professionally.

Initially, Parton wrote songs for other performers. However, she rose to fame with her first album, which was titled 'Hello, I'm Dolly'. Over 60 years, her career eventually took her into acting and producing. Her first ever role was in the movie '9 to 5'

Parton also had a head for business and kept ownership of almost all of the songs that she'd written. She launched her own recording label, which gave her full control of her songs.

This income allowed Parton to have a wider impact. She launched a film and TV production company and her famous theme park, which was called Dollywood.

Parton also donated money widely and funded her own literacy programme. The Imagination Library was Dolly's response to her father not being able to read or write. It sent free books to children around the world every month. This was a truly incredible experience, says Aynsley Broom.

Aynsley Broom: "She really, you know, championed a lot of people to read and was incredible in like, allow - making sure that every child had a book to read. And that's something that I think is very important. As someone who really loves our local libraries, she was supportive of that and her Imagination Library is something that is truly incredible."