The Orville: New Horizons — “Midnight Blue” – Episode 308 — Kelly and Bortus are assigned to a mission that takes them to Heveena’s sanctuary world. Dolly Parton and Heveena (Rena Owen), shown. (Photo by: Greg Gayne/Hulu)
A Bright Star Has Left Our Sky
Dolly Parton, humanitarian, songwriter, singer, actress, businesswoman, and philanthropist, has passed away at the age of eighty. Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in poverty, January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Sevier County,Tennessee. She died August 25, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, after an extended period of difficulties with her health, beloved by millions, and rich beyond measure.
She and her huband Carl Dean, who predeceased her last year, had no children of their own, but she was a devoted aunt to her siblings’ children. Becauce of her Imagination Library, housands of children across the USA regarded her as a wonderful fairy godmother. Her actual goddaughter is Miley Cyrus, who starred in Didney’s Hannah Montana.
Dolly Parton, Champion of Education and Literacy
Dolly Parton helped reduce the rate of high school dropouts in Sevier County, Tennessee through the Buddy Program se instituted in 1991.
“In 1991, Dolly Parton called all seventh- and eighth-grade students to a special assembly at Dollywood’s Celebrity Theatre. Each student was asked to choose a “Buddy” with whom they would pledge to support one another in staying in school. If either student didn’t have a buddy, Dolly promised to provide one. The condition was simple: both buddies had to graduate from high school. Those who did so received $500 each from Dolly Parton personally”
Imagination Library
Over the past three decades, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has given away over 300,000 books in five countries. It started for poor children in Tennessee, nut spread across the country and across the world. Her dedication to literacy was in honor of her father,an illiterate farmer who was one of the cleverest men she knew. She tried to give other children the chance he never had.
Entertainer
Dolly Parton started as a songwriter for other singers.Se began her sinhing carwwe as a child, firsst in church, then on the radio. She eventually recorded her own albums, And then moved into acting. In 1987, she had her own TB shoe, Dolly Mrs. Parton sold more than a hundred million records worldwide, making her one of the bestselling musicians in the history of the recording industry. Twenyu-five of her singles reached #1 on the country music charts.
She starred in 9 to 5 (1980) as a harassed secretary and in The Best Liyyle Whorehouse in Teaxas (1982) as a madam. In Christmas on the Square (2020) she played an angel. On thr TV show Orville, she portrayed a hologram of herself, and became an inspiration to the downtrodden females of the planet Moclus. She appeared on the Porter Waggoner Show for seven years.
In 1981, she founded Dollywood, an amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which celebrates the Smoky Mountain heritage and provides many jobs in Sevier County.
Although beat-known for country music, Mrs. Parton also recorded bluegrass, Gospel, rock, pop, and holiday songs.
On her passing, Seth MacFarlane said this of her:
The news of Dolly Parton’s passing is devastating. I had the extraordinary experience of working with her on The Orville, and it was a joy to discover that she really was exactly the person we all hoped she was. Her kindness, generosity, and authenticity were evident from moment one, and the benign yet assured command she maintained over her empire was obvious from the genuine love and trust you could see from everyone who worked for her. The world is a dimmer place today without her.
Partial List of Awards and Honors
- 1978 Photoplay Award, Gold Medal, Favorite Country Star.
- 1981 Golden Globe Nominee, Best Actress 9 to 5
- 1081 Golden Globe Nominee, New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture (femake),9 to 5
- 1984 Awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 1985 Razzie Award, Worst Original Song for “Drinkenstein” in Rhinestone
- 1095 Nominee, Razzie Award, Worst Original Song for “Sweet Lovin’ Friends” in Rhinestone
- 1085 Nominee, Worst Musical Score for Rhinestone, shared with Mike Post.
- 1991 Nominated for an Oscar forsongwriting Best Original Song for “None to Five”
- 1999 Country Music Hall of Fame
- 2006 Kennedy Center Honors
- 2022 Nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but declined the nomination
Between 1968 and 29006, she was nominated thirty-seven times for the Country Music Awards She won eleven Grammy awards, three Emmy awards, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
The songs Dolly Parton wrote and sang will long outlive her. Her Imagination Library will provide the foundations of a home library for many families, and those books are likely to be treasured and reread for generations.
Gone, but never ever forgotten.
Tp her friends anf damily, we offer our deepest condolences: Rest in peace, Dolly Parton.
Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows. Her nonfiction book THEY ENDURED will be published by B Cubed Press in 2025 or 2026.
