By Erin Walker, A&E Editor 

From her timeless music, philanthropic efforts, iconic looks, theme park, TV presence, cooking recipes or simply from just hearing her around, you have to admit Dolly Parton left her mark on the world before her death on Aug. 25. 

Leading up to her death, Parton battled a series of health conditions before finally losing to cancer at the age of 80. The country star was reported to have passed away surrounded by her family in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Parton started her full-time music career back in 1964 after she graduated high school. Her career then took off in 1967 when she released her single “Hello, I’m Dolly” and was invited to be a singer on The Porter Wagoner Show.  

From there Parton managed to produce 26 number one singles, 49 top ten country albums, 120 charted singles and sold over 100 million records globally. In regard to awards, Parton racked up 11 Grammys and 27 RIAA gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards, along with being a ten-time Entertainer of the Year winner, five-time Country Music Award winner and both Country and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.  

After working “9 to 5” during her seven-decade music career, Parton managed to accumulate many titles; however, her music was not the only impact Parton made on her fans’ lives. Parton devoted a large sum of her money and time to her philanthropic efforts and organizations. 

Parton’s service organizations spread across the globe, even finding a home here in Cincinnati. Some of her organizations include: the Dollywood Foundation, the Imagination Library and the My People Fund, a virtual extension of the Dollywood Foundation. She also participated in and donated to many scholarship funds, wildlife conservation efforts and medical research programs. 

Parton’s main service organization is the Dollywood Foundation. This program focuses on helping children achieve educational success by providing scholarships, and aid to aspiring students in need. 

“In the early 90’s Dolly promised every 7th-grade and 8th-grade student (in her hometown county) she would personally give them $500 if they graduated from high school. This effort, called the Buddy Program, reduced the dropout rate for these two classes from 35% to 6%. More importantly, the program catalyzed the community to provide additional resources to sustain this improvement in the dropout rate,” The Dollywood Foundation said.  

Here in Ohio, Parton brought the Imagination Library program in 2019. The Imagination Library focuses on providing students with one free book a year up until the age of five. According to the Imagination Library, Ohio’s program currently has 70% of households with children under five participating, making Ohio the number one state in enrollment in the program.  

Though Parton’s bright face and kind heart will never light up our screens again, her legacy and contributions to society will live on forever through her memory.  

“After you reach a certain age, they think you’re over. Well, I will never be over,” Parton said.