How Dolly Parton started a massive early-childhood reading movement

Digital Editor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. —

Country music icon Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy measured in songs, kindness and millions of opened books.

Parton died Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, her publicist said in a statement. A cause of death was not disclosed.

She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.”

But Parton was known equally as well for her philanthropic efforts, particularly for the founding of the Imagination Library, placing free books in the hands of young children across the globe.

Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired in part by her father’s inability to read or write.

“He was the smartest man I have ever known, but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams,” she said.

It now provides a free, age-appropriate book each month to registered children from birth through age 5, with local partners helping bring the program to communities in the United States and several other countries. The books are mailed directly to children, helping build home libraries and making reading a regular part of family life.

It mailed its 1 millionth book in 2003, reached 100 million books in 2018 and 200 million in 2023. In 2022, the program mailed 2 million books globally each month, and in 2024 reached one in seven U.S. children under age 5, according to organization’s website.

The program has had a massive impact on promoting childhood reading.

Research has found that participating families tend to read together more often, spend more time reading and show greater interest in literacy-related activities. Its broader impact is tied not only to book access but also to encouraging parents and caregivers to read aloud, strengthening early language development and school readiness.

Parton was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond — the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics.

With 55 Grammy nominations and 10 wins, Parton is the third-most nominated woman in Grammy history, only behind Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.