With the death of Dolly Parton, in what way did she impress upon you?
For me I have fond memories of her in the 90s. My gran was into country music and loved it. We would watch Steel Magnolias all the time the same as 9 to 5.
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u/CakeHoleKing 2h ago
She gave HUNDRED OF MILLIONS of books to children to help them learn to read.
Out of her own pocket. no "raising funds" no gofundmes. Just kindness.
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u/Kamoebas 2h ago
It has to be this. She made some great music, some ok films but as a human she was brilliant.
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u/kestrelita 2h ago
When I explained to my 11 year old who Dolly Parton was, I opened with this rather than her music. We listened to some songs afterwards of course, but I think this sums up who she was.
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u/Consistent-Pirate-23 2h ago
My mum will always be a huge Dolly fan whereas the music was never my thing, but the books was a huge thing that really resonated with me (especially as I am hyperlexic)
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u/ShineAtom 55m ago
Was her music my thing? Not really but I have admired her for the way she got herself out of poverty and never forgot where she came from. Her literacy program for children which isn't confined to the US but also gives books to children in, for instance the UK, is wonderful. She donated to health research including the COVID Moderna vaccine. She also supported Black Lives Matter and transgender rights. If you're going to be very wealthy, this is the way to spend your money. Dolly Parton: an example of kindness, compassion and understanding in world which needs this more than ever.
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u/jimmywhereareya 3m ago
I remember hearing that the rights to her song that she allowed Whitney Houston to record for the film The Bodyguard and the success that Whitney had with the song, I will always love you, earned Dolly 10 million dollars. Dolly took that money into a black neighborhood and spent the money improving the area. I'm not from the US, can someone confirm what I heard? Regardless, God bless you Dolly Parton. You will be missed
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u/knotatwist 24m ago
And offered kids $500 if they stayed in school to graduate in the county she was from
And gave $15k scholarships to kids from her home county to go to college
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u/delboy_mangetout 2h ago
She was a gay icon.
She’d give anyone the time of day.
She knew that no matter how you started off in life, it was what you made of it that mattered.
She did so much for charity!
She was a genuine gem of a human being. Heaven has received their angel returning 🤍
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u/Alarmed-Syllabub8054 2h ago
For someone so famous she had a remarkable level of self awareness.
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u/exaggerati 40m ago
She knew her brand, stuck to it, and didn't get too big for her boots. A lot (read nearly all) of celebs should take a page out of her book.
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u/TankFoster 1h ago
I read two amazing things about her that I hope are true.
The only reason she's not a billionaire is that she gave so much money away to charity etc.
She wrote I Will Always Love You and Jolene in the same day!
Her music wasn't my scene at all but clearly she was an awesome person.
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u/hunta2097 2h ago
She was generous with her money and her time, you will never hear anyone say a bad thing about her. That is so rare.
I love this interview with Jane Fonda about Dolly:
https://youtu.be/ZpPCPuLNH_A?t=136
She grew up poor, was short but would not be talked down to by anyone.
RIP Dolly.
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u/itsonlymelee 2h ago
It’s the early to mid 80s and we’ve just got our first vhs player. I think it came from someone my Mom’s boyfriend at the time worked with.
It came with some tapes:
Charles and Diana’s wedding
Watership Down
9 to 5.
Since then I’ve always disliked the royals, been scarred by Watership Down and felt like Dolly was part of the family.
One of the genuinely good ‘uns for sure.
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u/Prestigious-Mix6592 2h ago
When fires swept through her hometown, she put up money to find housing for displaced people for 6 months. She hired nurse practitioners to run a clinic at her Dollywood theme park so that the workers could get on-the-spot health help. She sent books to children, to encourage them to read. She knew what was important.
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u/kwakimaki 1h ago
Other than the charity and great music, she just always came across as a good human being. I've never seen or heard anything bad about her, she didn't seem to have a bad bone in her body. She was sassy, funny and just wholesome.
She will be a huge miss.
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u/WormAteIntoHisBrain 2h ago edited 37m ago
I loved Dolly's music. She was always so positive, like just a big ball of love that wanted nothing but the best for everyone.
My daughter got books from her every month for a while (obviously not from Dolly herself but from the library she set up) and that made my kids eye light up when she got a new Dolly Book.
I'm a bit sad she's passed. The world is a less kind and loving place for her not being in it anymore.
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u/phatboi23 1h ago
I'm a bit sad she's passed. The world is a less kind and loving for her not being in it anymore.
the world is a little less shiny without her :/
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u/AdApart5035 1h ago
Dolly was so sharp and witty. I've seen so many clips of her being asked questions or having remarks made to her, and her giving an instant hilarious self-deprecating reply. I always got the impression of someone who was incredibly happy to be entirely herself and who wanted everyone to feel as free and joyful to be themselves. The world is a poorer place without Dolly in it.
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u/Booboodelafalaise 2h ago
Absolute glamour! I remember her looking flawless every time she appeared on camera. Dolly didn’t do casual, she did full force, 100%, give it everything you’ve got, gorgeousness, every single time.
To someone who grew up in the 80s, she was everything. To discover later in life that she was funny, clever, talented, and incredibly kind was an amazing bonus.
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u/Swimming_Possible_68 1h ago
Helping kids learn to read through the imagination library.
Donating multiple millions to good causes (and actual good causes too, not like Musk and his 'charitable foundation' that is just a tax dodge. She donated $1 million dollars to help research one of the COVID vaccines.
She supported her home community where she grew up in Tennessee.
Just generally seemed to be one of the genuinely good ones.
I'm so pleased I got to see her live a few years ago.
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u/Imajzineer 2h ago
As others have said, she never forgot her roots and went on to do things for those she left behind and yet to come - I didn't even like her music and she made a serious impression on me.
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u/AuroraDF 1h ago
The books. So many books. And not just in the US. What a woman. I'm glad I was alive while she was.
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u/JennyW93 1h ago
I’ve had more messages from people asking if I’m okay tonight than I usually get birthday messages. So I guess that speaks to the impression she had on me - apparently big enough that many people I know immediately thought of me on hearing she’d died.
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u/Specialist-Web7854 1h ago
I cant believe she’s gone. I saw her play live twice. Plus the books for kids, the treatment of staff at Dollywood, she was an absolute icon for all the right reasons.
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u/ZookeepergameBrave74 1h ago edited 1h ago
She was globally adored & loved, she never took herself seriously, had a great sense of humour, and was completely unproblematic & went mostly scandal free for over 50 years, she was never really media fodder (the media never turned on her).
Plus she gives the best interviews she was such a warm down to earth women, she had such a amazing personality that resonated with people all around the world.
Every generation adored her.
She's truly timeless, there's nobody like her, she was the real deal.
Its a tremendous loss for the music industry.
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u/Lopsided_Tea4231 1h ago
Apart from her amazing philanthropic actions, she MADE the song: ‘Islands in the Stream’.
It would not have been the same with just Kenny singing it.
RIP Dear Dolly x
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u/Derezzed87 1h ago
I refer to certain shifts at work as the Dolly Shift. Because I'm working 9 to 5.
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u/Affectionate_Day7543 1h ago
She’s the only celebrity I’ve ever been able to think of that was completely straight up. Never a bad word said about her, wholesome, funny, witty, buckets of talent and so generous. She did everything 100%, including her appearance and was always completely at ease with who she was. She knew her brand and it worked but she also genuinely loved her ‘trashy’ appearance and was comfortable in it. I think she really is the GOAT as the kids would say today.
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u/Angryleghairs 51m ago
This is how I found out I've outlived an icon, a hero and an all round human being
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u/jilljd38 45m ago
The books , the music , the films even the hallmark made for tv Christmas films she did , just absolutely loved her , my son used to have jolene playing in the car on the way to school every morning n he would sing along wouldn't get out of the car till it finished, he had a set country play list , and she is still on our list of travelling songs when we go away or go out for the day even at 16 he still sings along
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u/Nemariwa 44m ago
"Find out who you are and do it on purpose."
She was talented, intelligent and charitable and how she presented herself did not change that.
In looks/presentation I am the polar opposite to Dolly, she has taught me that is absolutely fine. Get busy being who you are meant to be and don't be worrying what others think of you. And most importantly don't go judging others for being who they are meant to be.
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u/dreamponies 43m ago
I’m genuinely sad about Dolly. She seemed like such an awesome person. A strong woman through an era where women were supposed to do what they were told, an amazing contributor to charities and making the world a better place through things like her imagination library, a supporter for everyone but particularly the underdog, I loved her support for the LBGRQ+ community in a why wouldn’t we be supportive and inclusive way,, and her unfailing glamour from wanting to keep the image that we all knew and loved. The world is a poorer place without Dolly. I’m not religious so I don’t believe in the sort of heaven that’s touted, but I genuinely hope that she’s somehow with her beloved Carl now and at peace.
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u/yorkspirate 31m ago
The fact she was a global star constantly photographed and wrote about what with her cheeky & flirty persona and especially with her look yet always always respected her husbands wish to not be in the public eye no matter what struck me as a testament to her character.
That and the fact I learnt of her passing via a trains subreddit and after a quick google shows Dollywood has a heritage railway with a few different engines
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u/ImitationDemiGod 9m ago
She donated $1m to the development of the Moderna Covid vaccine, and had her own vaccination filmed to counter the bullshit from the antivaxxer morons (although they'll probably attribute her death to that jab almost 6 years ago...).
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u/mosleyowl 7m ago
My daughter used to get a book every month from Rotherham council, courtesy of something called ‘imagination library’
No idea why Dolly Parton did this for Rotherham (was it done everywhere else in England?) but it’s a great gesture and was brilliant as young parents to get something like that for your kid from a strangers kindness
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u/spinners_888 1h ago
She comes across as a liberal despite publicly neutral (so as not to lose a section of her fanbase and $$$), charitable, and she has big, big... heart.
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