Dolly Parton, a legendary figure in country music from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, is celebrated for her storytelling through songs like "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," and "I Will Always Love You." Over a career spanning more than seven decades, Parton has won 10 or 11 Grammy awards, sold over 100 million records worldwide, and written more than 3,000 songs. She often described herself as a songwriter first, using music as a way to express her thoughts and as a form of therapy. Born in 1946 as the fourth of 12 children in a poor farming family in a one-bedroom cabin in Tennessee, Parton's early life was marked by hardship. Her father, Robert Lee Parton, was a tobacco farmer, and her mother, Avie Lee, sang folk songs. Her uncle, Bill Owens, played guitar for her during early performances. By age six, she was singing in the local church, and by her teenage years, she was already performing on her local TV station. In 1959, at just 13 years old, she performed with her uncle at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, introduced by Johnny Cash and receiving three encores. During her teenage years, Parton modeled herself after a local character known as the “town tramp,” embracing a style that included bright red nail polish, low-cut tops, and high heels. She met her future husband, Carl Dean, on her first day in Nashville, where she moved after graduating from high school in 1964. They married in 1966 and remained married until his death in 2025, though they never had children. Parton joined The Porter Wagoner Show in 1967, becoming one of country music's most popular duos with Wagoner. However, as her solo career grew, tensions arose, leading her to leave the show in 1974. In 1973, she wrote two of her most famous songs, "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You," the latter of which she performed as a farewell to Wagoner. She also made a deal with Elvis Presley to record a cover of "I Will Always Love You," though his manager wanted half of the songwriting rights. Whitney Houston later covered the song in 1992, which Parton called one of her proudest moments. Parton's first number one hit was "Joshua" in 1971, and she left The Porter Wagoner Show in 1974 to focus on her solo career. She wrote the song "9 to 5" for the 1980 film of the same name, inspired by the sound of her acrylic nails clicking like a typewriter. The film was a box office success, and the song won several awards, including a Golden Globe. In 1986, Parton opened Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near her birthplace. The park became a major tourist attraction and helped fund her charitable foundation and literacy program. Through her Imagination Library, which was founded in honor of her father who could not read, Parton has given away more than 100 million free books to children worldwide. Her book "Coat of Many Colors" was the 100 millionth book donated by the program to the US Library of Congress collection. In 2022, Parton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a milestone she embraced with humor, declaring, "I'm a rock star now." She also performed at the Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving halftime show in 2023 in a rhinestone-studded Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders outfit. In 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Centre to help fund the Moderna vaccine. In 2026, she postponed a Las Vegas residency due to health issues, stating she needed time to heal. Despite this, Parton remained a cultural icon, remembered for her generosity, humor, and extraordinary songwriting, which shaped modern country music and connected with audiences across generations.