Dolly Parton has died aged 81 after a brief battle with cancer, bringing an end to a career that took her from a one-room cabin in Tennessee to global stardom.
From Poverty to Stardom
Born into a family of 12 children in the mountains of Tennessee, Parton was the fourth child and grew up in deep poverty. Music was central to her childhood, with her mother teaching her church songs and traditional ballads, while her grandfather was a fiddling preacher.
Her big break came in 1967 when she joined country star Porter Wagoner's TV show. Their on-screen chemistry and string of successful duets helped propel her towards national stardom.
Chart Success and Hollywood
By the late 1970s, Parton was a major star with hits including Here You Come Again and Jolene. She famously posed on the cover of Playboy in 1978 and later joked about the shoot.
She married Carl Dean in 1966 after meeting him outside a Nashville laundromat. Dean preferred to stay out of the public eye. Her collaboration with Kenny Rogers produced the 1983 hit Islands In The Stream, which topped US pop, country and adult contemporary charts.
Parton starred in the 1980 film 9 to 5 alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and her title song earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. In 1987, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Business and Legacy
In 1986, Parton became co-owner of Silver Dollar City in Tennessee, which was renamed Dollywood. Whitney Houston's recording of I Will Always Love You for The Bodyguard became one of the biggest hits in music history.
Parton performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2014. At the 2019 Grammy Awards, she wore a stunning red ensemble. She was godmother to Miley Cyrus, daughter of her longtime friend Billy Ray Cyrus.
Her philanthropy included the Imagination Library, which sent hundreds of millions of books to children. Parton remained determined to keep working despite health struggles in her final years.
