Dolly Rebecca Parton (1946–2026) was born in a one-room cabin in the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children in a family with little money and an abundance of love.

“My daddy couldn’t afford to pay Dr. Thomas for delivering me,” Parton recalled, “so he gave him a sack of cornmeal.” She grew up with a “head full of dreams and a house full of love.”

With the voice of an angel and a gift for songwriting, Dolly began performing as a child and made her Grand Ole Opry debut at 13. She carried the Smoky Mountains into songs such as Coat of Many Colors, Jolene, and I Will Always Love You, writing from memory, heartache, humor, and love.

“Faith, hope, and love are the three most important words in my life,” she wrote. “I believe it is faith that helps you achieve those things you hope for and that love is the reason for it all.”

“Leave something good in every day,” she advised. Dolly lived those words, bringing jobs and opportunity to her hometown, helping families in need, supporting medical research, and sharing her success with others.

Perhaps her most tender legacy began with her father. Unable to read or write, Lee Parton inspired Dolly to create the Imagination Library in 1995. What began with free books for young children in Sevier County grew far beyond home, placing more than 300 million books into children's hands.

Dolly Parton, the girl from the Tennessee mountains, spent a lifetime giving love away, through songs, stories, books, laughter, and goodness. In the end, the love she longed for came home to her.