Working Beyond “9 to 5”: The Life and Impact of Dolly Parton, Queen of Country

Dolly Parton, legendary country singer and philanthropist, passed away on August 25, 2026. She was known as the “Queen of Country Music” and universally beloved by everyone, myself included. I was not the biggest fan of her music, since I don’t really care for most country music, but I adored her as a person due to the sheer amount of philanthropy and good deeds she has done for everyone.

Over the course of nearly 60 years, Parton released 49 studio albums and wrote over 3,000 songs. She had multiple songs that topped the country charts, such as “I Will Always Love You” (which was covered by Whitney Houston, whose version went on to become the highest-selling single of all time), “Jolene,” and “Coat of Many Colors.” In addition, she had two songs top the national Billboard chart: the iconic “9 to 5” from the film of the same name, and “Islands in the Stream,” a duet with fellow country singer Kenny Rogers.

In the public consciousness, Dolly Parton was largely known for 1) her appearance as a “blonde bombshell,” and 2) her philanthropy. Parton embraced the idea of being a blonde bombshell or looking like a “tramp.” In a 2022 interview with People magazine, she said: “I patterned my look after the town tramp. Everybody said, ‘She's trash.’ And in my little girl mind, I thought, ‘Well, that's what I'm going to be when I grow up.’”

As for her philanthropy, where do I begin? In 1988 she founded the Dollywood Foundation, an educational nonprofit designed to help educational opportunities in her hometown of Sevierville, Tennessee. Subsequently, in 1995, the foundation opened Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that provides children nationwide with a free book every month until their fifth birthday.

In addition, Parton opened Dollywood, an iconic theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1986. The employees of the park enjoy many benefits, such as full coverage of tuition payments for employees who go to college.

Furthermore, she contributed a significant amount of money to public health: $500,000 to a hospital and cancer center in Sevierville, multiple donations to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and “generational and transformational” donations to the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital—now renamed the Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital in her honor.

She also raised and donated multiple millions of dollars to disaster relief. In 2016, she raised $9 million for the victims of the Great Smoky Mountains wildfire and received an award from the FBI for this. In 2024, after Hurricane Helene devastated eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, Parton donated $2 million to relief efforts: $1 million personally and $1 million through the Dollywood Foundation.

Despite her political neutrality, Parton was considered an icon for the LGBTQ+ community across the globe. In a 1984 interview with Andy Warhol, she said: “I got a huge gay following and some really macho-looking women. To me, people are people. […] Many of my friends are gay, male and female. I don't judge people. I don't care what people do in their bedrooms and people shouldn't care what I do in mine.” In 2009, she came out in support of same-sex marriage, six years before it was officially legalized in the United States. After a series of anti-trans legislations were passed in Tennessee in 2023, Parton publicly supported the trans community. After she passed away, the Tennessee Equality Project described her as “the outsider who made it big by being herself, and leading with love.”

Dolly Parton was beloved by almost all Americans, regardless of political beliefs, sexuality, gender, income, class, or any other dividing line in American society. It is not often—if ever—where you have President Donald Trump and the LGBTQ+ community agree on something so universally, and yet, it happened. She served as an inspiration for artists the world over, millions of people looked up to her. I was by no means a massive fan of her, I’d be the first to admit that, but I was upset by her passing. Several of my friends and acquaintances viewed Parton as an inspiration, for their art or otherwise, and were devastated by her passing, which is why I decided to write this article. I asked each one of them what Dolly Parton meant to them. Below are the testimonies I’ve collected:

Olivia Colón, activist and fashion designer

“Dolly was always one of those celebrities that would silently influence you. Her activism was never just for show, or never to her benefit for ‘brownie points’. She was also someone I could never see life carrying on without. She was always there one way or another, in the color pink, tucked away in the nook of a library or buzzing around the gay bar. She was always someone to look up to. The fame never changed her heart, it was pure gold through and through; or she would compare it to a rhinestone. 

I could also almost compare her to an older Princess Diana. She was royalty that never lost her spirit; the true people’s princess. There really was nothing to hate about her, or rather it was very hard to. Her activism supported by action made her someone every politician falsely promises to be.”

Liv Levick, Temple University film student

“Have you ever felt the world stop? Like time paused and all the particles in the air weren’t moving either? Well, I had just risen from a nap when my roommate looked at me and said, ‘Liv, I need to tell you something.’ Nobody says that to you with the intention of it being good news, so off the bat I’m thinking: ‘Oh my God, what the hell did I do this time?’ And so I tell her exactly that, ‘what did I do?’ She said, ‘it’s not you.’ I saw her pull out her phone, and I said ‘Who died?’ as a joke, because that’s unfortunately my punchline for everything. But she said ‘Dolly Parton just died.’ I felt like I had been punched, and the air was taken out of me.

I didn’t know Dolly Parton personally, obviously, but when someone makes such an impact on your life—it feels like losing a member of your family. I have had a little shrine of her in my room since I was in sixth grade. She inspired me to be a better person and showed me what kinds of things millionaires should be investing in. She’s helped impoverished communities, created several children’s foundations, been a huge face in the feminist movement, and has done more than you know. More than making music. She’s helped women like me see more in ourselves, our uniqueness and authenticity, our values and the fortune of girlhood. May Dolly Parton rest in peace.”

Sondra Romano, artist and the author’s mom

“The passing of Dolly has made me feel very nostalgic. I didn’t realize how she had become part of the soundtrack of my youth. Singing along with her to ‘Here You Come Again.’ ‘9 to 5’ was part of our gym class aerobics. She starred in one of my favorite movies, Steel Magnolias, and was amazing in it.

My mom loved her voice, my dad admired her… endowments. I grew to respect her as a genuinely amazing human being. Funny, smart, sassy, and kind. Rare to find these days. We may have lost a star, but the universe gained an angel.”

From these testimonies, one can only conclude that Dolly Parton was one of the most influential Americans of the modern era. Universally beloved across every dividing line of American society—she was perhaps the last person who this could ever apply to. She was an inspiration for millions of people, a guiding light, an icon. I don’t think there will ever be someone like her again. May she rest in peace.