The Queen of Country Music dies

Dolly Parton died in August 2026 at 80 years old. The American singer was 'the Queen of Country Music'.

Parton came from a poor family. She grew up in the countryside. She had 11 brothers and sisters.

Dolly wrote her first song at 6 years old. At 10, she started singing on TV. At 16, she was a professional songwriter.

Dolly started writing songs for other singers. Then, her first album made her famous. Its name was 'Hello, I'm Dolly.'

She started acting too. Her first film was '9 to 5'.

Parton was a clever businesswoman. She never sold her songs. They continue to make money for her. In 1993, she started her own recording company.

The singer used her money to help people. She started a film and TV company and built the 'Dollywood' theme park.

Because her father couldn't read, Dolly started a reading charity. The 'Imagination Library' gives children free books. This is very important, 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." View Less