By: Armone’ Gates, Editor & Chief

The Queen of Country Music, Dolly Parton, died at the age of 80 years old on Aug. 25, 2026, from cancer. She was a philanthropist, singer-songwriter, and film star whose career spanned more than a decade. Known for her hits “9 to 5”, “I Will Always Love You,” and “Jolene,” Parton helped change the trajectory of country music by creating country ballads that had meaning.  

Born Jan 19, 1949, in Pittman Center, Tennessee, Parton developed a passion for music at a young age as she wrote her first song at six years old. In 1967, she released her debut album titled “Hello, I’m Dolly. From there, she would then go on to release 49 studio albums and wrote more than 3,000 songs.

The most notable song that she wrote was “I Will Always Love You,” which the singer Whitney Houston recorded in 1992 for the “Bodyguard” soundtrack and became an international success. 

More importantly, she was a philanthropist who poured back into many people’s lives as she founded the “Dollywood Foundation” in 1988, which helped proved educational outcomes for children in her home county, Sevier County, Tennessee.

She also founded the “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library” in 1995 in honor of her father, who never learned how to read and write. From there she was able to create sit-down books to help children at a young age learn the basics of reading and writing  

Overall, Dolly’s life exemplified excellence, persistence, dedication, and love; many may remember her as the Queen of Country Music, but for some, Dolly was a supporter and advocate for all human rights.