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The Grim Reaper hasn’t been kind to Hollywood these past few weeks. On Wednesday, actress, singer-songwriter, and beloved human Dolly Parton has joined the list of celebrities who have left this mortal plane.

The “Queen of Country” was 80 years old when she passed away after a brief battle with an illness, and of course, her fans have been mourning. Beyond the heartfelt tributes, social media has also remembered her life through snippets of facts many may not know.

If you consider yourself an avid Dolly Parton supporter, you may love and appreciate her even more after reading through this list.

#1

Dolly struggled with infertility because of endometriosis and had a hysterectomy in the early ’80s that permanently prevented her from having children. Afterward, she suffered from depression. “It was an awful time for me,” she told reporters in 2008.

Dolly said she always thought she’d have children, and although it never happened, she still thinks of herself as a mother. She’s close to her nieces and nephews, and told Today, “I didn’t have children because I believed that God didn’t mean for me to have kids so everybody’s kids could be mine, so I could do things like Imagination Library.” (The Imagination Library is a nonprofit program she founded that mails free, age-appropriate books every month to children from birth to age five.) “I would have been a great mother, I think. I would probably have given up everything else,” she told the Guardian. “I think a big part of my whole success is the fact that I was free to work.

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#2

On The Drew Barrymore Show, Dolly said that Taylor made a lot of costumes for her, and that she remembered Keanu when he “was just a little boy.” She went on to say that she saw him all the time, and that Keanu’s mom would even bring him over to her house when they did fittings. She then said that years and years later, she heard a knock on her dressing room door at a show she was doing, and that when she opened it, it was Keanu — who was already a big celebrity at the time. Keanu said, “Do you remember me? I’m the little boy who used to sit at your feet while my mama was doing [your costumes].” She said she thought, Oh my God! because she knew Keanu had gone on to be an actor, but she didn’t connect that it was him until that moment.

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#3

Dolly Parton was also Miley Cyrus’s godmother! Parton became close to Miley’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, after they worked together, and he later asked her to be Miley’s godmother. Dolly appeared as Miley’s “Aunt Dolly” on Hannah Montana, performed with her repeatedly, and continued to shower her with love over the years.

In a 2024 interview with W Magazine, Miley revealed the most heartfelt story about Dolly sending her a fax. “Dolly wrote to me to say, ‘How much do I love you? As much as my heart can hold and as far as my arms can reach.’ It gets me choked up. I just love her so much,” Miley said. “Last Christmas, she gave me a whole mannequin, done in her proportions and wearing her outfit. It’s so major.”

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#4

During COVID, she also donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to fund scientific research that contributed to the development of the Moderna vaccine.

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#5

Dolly Parton was always witty and charming, even while consistently pushing back against a series of pretty rude and sexist questions from Barbara Walters in a 1978 interview. When Barbara asked Dolly, “Is it all you?” — referring to her breasts — Dolly joked, “Well, I can’t show you here on television,” before quipping that if she didn’t have them naturally she wouldn’t hesitate to “make” them. Barbara then said, “You don’t have to look like this. You’re very beautiful. You don’t have to wear the blonde wigs. You don’t have to wear the extreme clothes. Right?” “No, it’s certainly a choice,” Dolly responded. “I don’t like to be like everybody else. I’ve often made this statement: I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable. That’s the easiest thing in the world to do… I’m very real where it counts and that’s inside. … Show business is a money-making joke. And I just always like telling jokes.”

Barbara didn’t stop there, asking, “But do you ever feel like you’re a joke? That people make fun of you?”

Dolly said, “All these years people have thought the joke is on me but it’s actually been on the public. I know exactly what I’m doing and I can change it at any time.”

“I am sure of myself as a person, I am sure of my talent,” she added. “And I am sure of my love for life and that sort of thing, I am very content. I like the person that I am. So I can afford to ‘piddle around’ and ‘do-diddle around’ with makeup and clothes, because I am secure with myself.”

Then, when Barbara questioned why Dolly was married when she was away so much, bringing up the “temptations” that came with life on the road, Dolly basically said she and her husband, Carl Dean (who passed in 2025), valued freedom and kept anything that happened with other people to themselves, adding, “I’ve got better things to do than sit around in my room thinking, ‘Oh what’s Carl doing tonight, I wonder if he’s with somebody.'”

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#6

TIL that in the 1990s, Dolly Parton made $10 million in royalties from Whitney Houston’s cover of her song “I Will Always Love You.” She then invested the money into an office complex in a majority-Black neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee. She later described it as “the house that Whitney built.”

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#7

TIL in 1990, the high school dropout rate in Sevierville, Dolly Parton’s hometown, was over 30%. In 1991, she launched The Buddy Program, offering 7th and 8th graders $500 if they graduated. The dropout rate for those classes dropped to 6%, and has generally retained that average to this day.

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#8

TIL Dolly Parton sleeps in make-up (and washes it off in the morning) just in case she has to go out in the middle of the night if a natural disaster strikes

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#9

TIL just two of Dolly Parton’s songs (“Jolene” and “9 to 5”) gross about $6 million to $8 million per year in royalties

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#10

TIL that Dolly Parton used to stop business meetings for sixty seconds so that the men could stare at her chest and focus for the rest of the meeting

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#11

Dolly Parton has a program that will mail your child a free age-appropriate book once a month from birth to age 5. No obligation, no catch, she just wants to make sure that every child has books.

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#12

TIL- When Dolly Parton went to a Dolly Parton look alike contest she lost to a man dressed like her.

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#13

TIL The song 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton is rooted to the 9to5 movement in which secretaries and working women stood up for their rights to be treated equal in the workplace

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#14

TIL that though unable to read sheet music, Dolly Parton can play many instruments, including: the dulcimer, autoharp, banjo, guitar, electric guitar, fiddle, piano, recorder, and the saxophone.

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#15

TIL Nelson Mandela would play songs over the speakers while incarcerated to sustain hope among prisoners. Among them was ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton – it was the hope behind the plea to Jolene that someone might hear their desperate pleas for freedom.

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#16

According to Ancestry.com, Miley Cyrus And Dolly Parton are actually seventh cousins, once removed. According to the genealogy company, they share a mutual relative in John Brickey, who was born in Virginia in 1740 and lived in Blount County, Tennessee, until his death in 1806.

The news didn’t come as much of a shock to Dolly, who said, “That’s amazing, the ancestry that says I’m related to Miley, and I’m sure she’ll get a kick out of that. But it doesn’t surprise me because she does feel like family. I’ve always said she feels like a niece, or a child, or whatever, so that’s a cool little thing.”

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#17

A cool facts about the song “9 to 5” is that she composed the song by tapping her acrylic nails while on set.

Parton reflected on writing the song on The Tonight Show in 2019, saying: “When I wrote this song, I used my acrylic nails on the set. I did because they make noise, and it kind of sounded like a typewriter to me. And I played it on the actual record — it says ‘Nails by Dolly’ on the album!”

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#18

Dolly actually wrote what are arguably her two biggest songs — “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” — on what may have been the very same day! She said the songs were found back-to-back on the same cassette, and while she can’t swear they were written on the exact same day, they came from an intensely creative and emotional stretch of her life. Basically, Dolly was GOING THROUGH IT and somehow turned it into two all-time classics.

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#19

Whitney Houston’s cover of Dolly’s “I Will Always Love You” is one of the biggest recordings of all time, but it almost didn’t happen. Whitney was originally supposed to sing a cover of Jimmy Ruffin’s “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” as the main theme song for The Bodyguard. However, they decided to switch the song after they found out that Paul Young was doing a cover of the song for the soundtrack to Fried Green Tomatoes. Kevin Costner then suggested to David Foster (who was producing The Bodyguard soundtrack) that it should be “I Will Always Love You.”
It doesn’t end there, though! They almost ended up doing a slightly different cover of “I Will Always Love You,” since the only version Foster could find at his local record store was Linda Ronstadt’s cover. But when Foster spoke with Dolly Parton about getting the rights to cover it, she said yes, but told him they needed to use her version because it included the “And I wish you joy and happiness” final verse.

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#20

Dolly Parton refused to let Elvis Presley record a cover of “I Will Alway Love You” because his team demanded half the publishing rights in exchange for him doing it. This was a common practice for songs Elvis recorded. Dolly’s friends told her she was being silly for passing up the chance to have the legendary singer record one of her songs, but she knew the song was too personal and valuable to give up ownership. Of course, her decision, though difficult, proved to be very smart after Whitney Houston’s 1992 version became a massive, massive hit. Dolly has since said she was thrilled at the idea of Elvis singing it and cried when turning him down, but never regretted protecting her work.

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#21

In addition to acting, Dolly also produced movies and TV shows, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The show was produced by Sandollar Entertainment, a production company that Dolly cofounded with her friend and business partner Sandy Gallin, in 1986.

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#22

In 1974, Tina Turner released her debut solo album, Tina Turns the Country On!, which featured covers of country and folk songs. Among them was “There’ll Always Be Music,” a song written by Dolly Parton. Parton later shared that having Turner cover her work was one of the highest compliments her songwriting could receive.

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#23

In April 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, Dolly Parton made a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to fund coronavirus research. She was inspired to give after learning about promising early scientific advancements from her close friend, Vanderbilt surgeon Dr. Naji Abumrad.

Her gift established the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund, which helped finance critical early-stage trial work. Months later, in November 2020, the New England Journal of Medicine formally listed her fund among the financial supporters of the lifesaving Moderna vaccine.

When news broke of her involvement, Parton humbly called it “seed money,” expressing pride in playing a small part in a global solution. To cap it off, in March 2021, she posted a viral video of herself getting the shot at Vanderbilt—singing a modified version of “Jolene” (“Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine!”) to encourage fans to get vaccinated.

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#24

There was a story on here once about her that really stuck with me. A Reddit user was talking about meeting her with one of her friends, I think. They were taking some sort of picture, and the friend got up on top of something for the group picture. While she was climbing, she slipped and accidentally kicked Dolly. She was super embarrassed and kept apologizing, and Dolly just giggled and said something along the lines of, ‘Well, now you can go around telling people you got to kick Dolly Parton’s behind.’ Lol. I thought that was cute and funny.

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#25

Dolly had a very kind and supportive response when Lil Nas X covered her “Jolene.” The two later met, and she congratulated him in person on a job well done.

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#26

For a time Dolly had a pretty iconic Twitter account, full of her trademark humor and charm

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#27

TIL Dolly Parton gave each family who lost its primary residence in the 2016 TN fires $1,000 a month for five months. When she arrived to help dole out the final payments, she brought the nearly 900 families an unexpected bonus – another $5,000 each for a total of $10,000.

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#28

TIL when Three Six Mafia beat out Dolly Parton to win the 2006 Academy Award for Best Original Song, Dolly was thrilled, and personally sent a congratulatory letter, “We’re proud of you guys, and I’m just glad that the Oscar came back to Tennessee one way or another!”

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#29

TIL that Dolly Parton’s family was so poor that the doctor who brought her into the world was paid with a sack of cornmeal

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#30

TIL that when the Tennessee legislature proposed to erect a statue of Dolly Parton, she asked the legislature to remove the bill from consideration, saying it wasn’t appropriate to put her on a pedestal.

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#31

TIL Dolly Parton wrote her first song around age 6 or 7 and performed at the Grand Ole Opry at age 13, introduced by Johnny Cash.

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#32

TIL Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” is about a red-headed clerk who had a crush on her husband, but the song is named after one of her fans. Dolly told her, “That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I’m going to write a song about that.”

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#33

TIL the first ever cloned sheep was named after Dolly Parton because “Dolly is derived from a mammary gland cell, and we couldn’t think of a more impressive pair of glands than Dolly Parton’s.”

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#34

TIL The Bee Gee’s wrote “Islands in the Stream” for Marvin Gaye, it was a hit for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and then sampled for “Ghetto Superstar”. When The Bee Gee’s finally recorded their version, they used “Ghetto Superstar ” for their final chorus.

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#35

TIL Peter Gabriel’s song ‘Don’t Give Up’ was inspired by photograph’s of depression era Americans. He originally approached Dolly Parton to sing, she turned him down and Kate Bush agreed to take her place. Elton John credits the song with helping to inspire him to achieve sobriety.

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#36

TIL that Sesame Street had a Dolly Parton parody called Polly Darton that sang a version of 9to5 called 1 to 5 to help pre-schoolers count…

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#37

TIL that Dolly Parton’s modern classic “I Will Always Love You” was NOT about romantic love at all, but the respectful, platonic love between a mentor and their protege.

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#38

For decades, fans were convinced Dolly Parton was secretly hiding full-sleeve tattoos under her trademark long sleeves and fingerless gloves? While the rumors of a total-body transformation were wildly exaggerated, the fun fact is that the country queen does have a secret collection of body art—she just uses it for the most delightfully practical reason! Because of her fair skin, surgical scars often turn purple and leave keloids, so instead of just living with them, Dolly decided to “decorate” them. She famously explained that she likes to make positives out of negatives, so whenever she got a scar, she’d cover it up with delicate, pastel-colored ink.

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#39

Despite launching an entire line of signature cake mixes, Dolly Parton has admitted she actually prefers pie over cake. Queen Dolly is a Southern comfort food fan, and when it comes to satisfying her legendary sweet tooth, a rich pie almost always wins the crown. Her absolute all-time favorite dessert isn’t fancy at all—it’s old-fashioned banana pudding, closely followed by a deep-dish chess pie or a warm, homemade cobbler!

She loves a good slice of pie so much that when she expanded her retail food empire beyond baking mixes, she immediately rolled out frozen Southern chess and chocolate fudge pies inspired by her own family recipes. Dolly famously explained that while she bakes cakes for birthdays and celebrations because they make people happy, if she’s the one stealing a late-night treat from the fridge, she’s reaching for a buttery pie crust every single time!

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#40

Dolly Parton grew up as one of 12 children in a small cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains. As the fourth child born to Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton, she shared tight quarters with her 11 siblings, an upbringing she credits for their deep lifelong bond.

Several of her siblings entered the entertainment industry alongside her:

Stella, Randy, & Rachel: Built careers as country singers, performers, and actors.

Floyd: Co-wrote several of her hit songs, including “Rockin’ Years.”

Willadeene: Authored family cookbooks and memoirs.

Tragically, her younger brother Larry passed away shortly after birth in 1955. Despite achieving global fame, Parton remained deeply connected to her family, frequently hiring relatives at Dollywood and collaborating with them on musical projects throughout her career.

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#41

Dolly Parton holds 11 official Guinness World Records titles (and was named an official Guinness World Records Icon). Her records focus primarily on her historic chart longevity, massive recording output, and trailblazing achievements:

Most decades on the US Hot Country Songs chart (female): 7 consecutive decades (1960s–2020s).

Most decades with a Top 20 hit on the US Hot Country Songs chart: 7 decades (extended via her 2025 “Please Please Please” remix).

Most consecutive decades with Top 10 album entries on the Billboard country chart (female): 7 decades.

Longest span of No. 1 hits on the US Hot Country Songs chart: 35 years and 26 days (from “Joshua” in 1971 to “When I Get Where I’m Going” with Brad Paisley in 2006).

Longest span of No. 1 hits on the US Top Country Albums chart (female): Over 46 years (capped by her 2023 album Rockstar).

Most No. 1 hits on the US Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist: 25 total chart-toppers.

Most hits on the US Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist: Over 113 total chart entries.

Most Top 10 entries on the US Top Country Albums chart (female): 49 total albums.

Most studio albums released by a female country singer: 66 studio albums.

Most Grammy nominations for a female country artist: 51 total nominations.

First country singer to be nominated for an EGOT: The first artist in the country genre to earn individual nominations across the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards.

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#42

Dolly Parton has frequently shared that Johnny Cash was her first major “grown-up” celebrity crush.

When she was just 13 years old, her uncle Bill Owens brought her to Nashville, where she made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage in 1959. Cash was the artist who actually introduced her to the audience that night.

Parton later recalled that seeing “The Man in Black” up close—lean, charismatic, and magnetic—stuck with her instantly:

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#43

Dolly Parton’s lifelong best friend is Judy Ogle. The two met in third grade growing up in Sevier County, Tennessee, making their friendship a bond that spans over 70 years.

Parton has described Ogle as her ultimate confidante and a steady tether to her home state. Though Ogle brief left Tennessee after high school to serve in the military, she moved to Nashville as soon as her service ended to join Parton just as her star was beginning to rise.

Over the decades, Ogle became a fixture in Parton’s inner circle, working behind the scenes as her personal assistant, valet, makeup artist, and traveling companion. In her autobiography, Parton noted that writing music alone could be isolating, but having Ogle around was “like being alone with somebody.”

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#44

Dolly Parton famously refused to text or email, opting instead to communicate using a traditional fax machine. Describing herself as a “low-tech girl in a high-tech world,” she strictly limited direct digital access to protect her personal time and maintain focus on her creative work.

Fellow stars like Reba McEntire and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus confirmed that contacting Parton required sending a fax. When Cyrus texted her, Parton’s team would receive the message, print or scan a handwritten or typed response from Parton, and fax or text it back—always complete with Parton’s official signature.

Parton joked that while she was certainly capable of learning modern cell phone technology, she simply preferred to avoid cluttering her mind. As she put it, “I don’t text ’cause I don’t want to have to answer,” preferring to keep her inner circle grounded in old-school correspondence.

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#45

TIL that Dolly Parton wrote ‘I Will Always Love You’ about the man that launched her career by having her on his TV show ‘The Porter Wagoner Show.’ Eventually, Dolly told him she was parting ways with him in 1974 to go solo and he was very hurt and got bitter. She wrote it as an “I’m sorry.”

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#46

Did you know that Dolly Parton owns a massive, award-winning theme park that she refuses to actually ride the roller coasters in? Located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Dollywood is a 160-acre wonderland that blends hair-raising amusement rides with traditional Appalachian culture, live bluegrass music, and mountain craft demonstrations like blacksmithing and glassblowing. Dolly co-bought and rebranded the park back in 1986 to boost the economy and create jobs in her impoverished hometown. It worked so well that it’s now the most-visited ticketed attraction in the entire state of Tennessee!

Here is the best part: despite putting her name on giant, world-class coasters like the Lightning Rod and Wild Eagle, Dolly herself has never ridden a single one of them! She suffers from severe motion sickness—admitting she used to get sick just riding the school bus as a kid—and famously joked that between her hairpieces, her makeup, and her delicate stomach, she simply has “too much to lose” on a roller coaster. So while millions of fans flock to her park every year for adrenaline rushes and fresh 25-pound apple pies, Queen Dolly prefers to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground!