Dolly Parton began her entertainment career with her debut at the Grand Ole Opry at just 13 years old. Born in January 1946, she moved to Nashville in 1960 aiming to pursue a career in country music. Parton got married to Carl Thomas Dean in 1966.
Her first solo album, Hello, I’m Dolly, was released in 1967, and soon after, she joined Porter Wagoner on The Porter Wagoner Show. This collaboration lasted through the early 70s. In 1969, Parton became an official member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Parton released her fifth studio album The Fairest of Them All in February 1970. Her iconic song I Will Always Love You, written about ending her partnership with Wagoner, came out in 1974. She launched Dolly!, her variety show, in 1976 and released the album Here You Come Again which topped Billboard’s country charts for five weeks. By 1978, she earned her first Grammy Award and was named entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards.
In 1980, Parton made a successful film debut in 9 to 5, earning nominations and awards for the film’s title song. Her 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas also garnered a Golden Globe nomination. She partnered with Kenny Rogers in 1983 for the hit Islands in the Stream and opened Dollywood, her own theme park, in 1986.
Her ABC prime-time variety show Dolly introduced new formats, including a Christmas episode. The show included celebrity guests like Bob Hope. In 1988, Parton won a Grammy along with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. Her 1989 appearance in Steel Magnolias added to her film successes.
Parton also released Eagle When She Flies in 1991, achieving platinum status. Whitney Houston’s cover of I Will Always Love You topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, broadening her audience as a songwriter. She teamed up with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette for Honky Tonk Angels and starred in Straight Talk in 1992.
In 1995, she launched the Imagination Library, sending free books to children and honoring her father’s memory. By 2024, the program reached one in seven U.S. children under five, with 300 million books planned to be distributed by 2025.
1999 marked her Country Music Hall of Fame induction. Her album The Grass Is Blue earned her a Grammy Award in 2001 for Best Bluegrass Album. She received accolades like the National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor in the early 2000s. Her song Travelin’ Thru received Academy and Golden Globe nominations for the movie Transamerica.
Parton reunited with Kenny Rogers in 2013 to sing You Can’t Make Old Friends. Her 2014 Glastonbury performance stood out. She founded the My People Fund in 2016 to support victims of the Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, offering $9 million to families.
A Grammy nomination in 2018 for Girl in the Movies followed, celebrating 50 years with the Grand Ole Opry in 2019. She won Grammys for There Was Jesus and received an Emmy for Christmas on the Square in 2021.
In 2022, Parton joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and released Rockstar in 2023 featuring artists like Chris Stapleton. Her performance at the Dallas Cowboys’ 2023 Thanksgiving game drew attention. Billboard named her the top country artist in 2024, but health issues postponed her Las Vegas residency in 2025.
Dolly Parton passed away on August 25 at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy of music, film, and kindness.