The Indelible Beauty of Dolly Parton

by Alyssa Jahn

Header image credit: RCA Records, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During our weekly strategy meeting earlier this week, a question was posed: What would prompt a young woman to cry over the death of Dolly Parton?

This query, asked in earnest and with concern, prompted a long and in-depth discussion that crossed a wide range of topics. Each of us voiced different reasons as to why the death of a beloved celebrity would bring tears—whether it’s simply grieving the loss of someone whose work you admired, a reaction to the parasocial attachment that forms in the age of social media, or something deeper, such as the impact on society when we lose someone who was a strong force for good.

When I was growing up, my awareness of Dolly Parton was largely as a caricature: a buxom blonde who sang country songs and had a reputation as a ditz. And I bought that simple, superficial assumption of her character for much of my life.

In 2002, I went to see the movie A Walk to Remember in the theater. There is a scene, late in the movie, where the character Landon (played by Shane West) reads a quote by Dolly Parton, to which the other character Jamie (played by Mandy Moore), replies, “I always thought she was smart.” The line makes Landon laugh, and I remember laughter echoing throughout the theater. I laughed, too.

But Parton was more than just smart—she was witty, business savvy, and charitable. She turned a talent for songwriting into a legacy of philanthropy, ensuring that her name and her influence will carry on for decades to come.

In 2020, after news surfaced about Parton donating $1 million dollars to Vanderbilt (the company that created the Moderna COVID vaccine), the following Tweet went viral and has since been reposted and repurposed across the internet:

Without getting into a discussion on the ethics of billionaires, there is something to be said about a woman who became known for her philanthropy. Since Parton’s death, which was announced only a few hours before I started writing this, I have seen multiple posts about all the good she did.

There was one about how she worked to reduce the dropout rate at her hometown high school, successfully driving it down from 34 percent to six percent. There was another about how she took the $10 million that she received in royalties from Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” and invested it into Black communities in Nashville. And, of course, as a member of the book community, everybody is talking about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which, to date, has helped put over 330 million books in the hands of children across five countries. Rough estimates of her charitable contributions over the years top half a billion dollars—a mind-boggling number for many of us—and that’s if you reduce it to numbers alone.

Parton was more than a singer, businesswoman, and philanthropist; she was also an outspoken ally for the LGBTQ+ community. She was vocal about this before it was popular or even safe, but her staunch belief in loving her fellow humans is part of why she was so beloved in return. Her death is felt deeply in the queer community.

As people across the internet react to the loss of Dolly Parton, one thing is becoming clear; this is more than just the death of another celebrity. Instead, it marks the loss of something bigger.

In a world that feels darker and more difficult with each passing year, Dolly Parton was a ray of hope. As a member of the wealthiest class in America, surrounded by contemporaries who hoard their money to gross excess, Parton did things differently. She gave back, time and time again, and in doing so, showed a deep reverence and love for humanity.

Parton once said, “I’m no natural beauty. If I’m gonna have any looks at all, I’m gonna have to create them.” She may have been talking about her physical appearance, but she created beauty everywhere she went, spreading her gifts like seeds across the ground, allowing beautiful things to sprout in her wake. Her music, her artistry, her many business endeavors, and her charitable work have sowed a legacy that’s so much bigger than her wealth and unforgettable looks.

I grew up barely knowing or caring who Dolly Parton was, but what I knew was wrong. I am thankful that we all got to know her better, to know better. And I will mourn her.

Her loss is great, but her legacy is greater. Click this link o learn more about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, or to donate in her memory.