She told PEOPLE in 2015 about the first time she heard Houston’s version of the song on the radio. “It was a worldwide thing. It was in a movie; it was No. 1. I thought, ‘Wow. I wrote that little song,’ “ she said. “That’s when I felt my worth as a songwriter. I thought, ‘This is my gift, and I’m going to do the best I can with it.’ ”
Musician Dolly Parton with Miss Piggy on ‘Dolly’, 1988.
Miss Piggy and Dolly Parton in 1988.Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty
Parton continued to enjoy success with hits like “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” “Here You Come Again,” “Two Doors Down,” “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right” and “You’re the Only One.”
By the end of the ’70s, Parton’s ambitions reached beyond Nashville; some worried she was leaving country music behind. She said in 1977, “I want people to know there is a lot more to me — good or bad — than they’ve seen so far. All I’m askin’ is a chance to prove it. . . . . I’m not leavin’ Nashville. Roots are important to me, and my roots are here.”
Parton’s movie career began in 1980 when she starred in 9 to 5 Her theme song for the movie became her first No. 1 single on the Hot 100. The costars became lifelong friends, and Parton later made a guest appearance on their Netflix TV series Grace and Frankie.
Dolly Parton at Dollywood in 1988.
Dolly Parton at Dollywood in 1988.Ron Davis/Getty
In 1982, she played a madam in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas alongside Burt Reynolds. “I make a better whore than a secretary,” she told PEOPLE in 1982. Parton also starred in 1984’s, 1989’s Steel Magnolias and 2012’s Joyful Noise.
In 1987, Parton released the critically acclaimed album Trio with and Emmylou Harris. She told PEOPLE in 2003 that they “were like sisters,” explaining, “We didn’t always agree, but we had a great sound. Our first Trio album was one of the greatest pieces of music I’ve ever been involved in.”
During her career, Parton won an Emmy, 11 Grammy awards, 10 Country Music Association awards, seven Academy of Country Music awards, three American Music awards and earned two Academy Award nominations, as well as an honorary Oscar. She was one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award.
American singer-songwriter, actress, and businesswoman Dolly Parton receives an honorary doctorate by Carson-Newman College on October 21, 1990 in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
Dolly Parton receiving an honorary degree from Carson-Newman College in 1990.Ron Davis/Getty
The music icon was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. During the memorable ceremony, she performed her hit song “Coat of Many Colors.” Parton’s close friend and “Islands in the Stream” duet partner presided over her induction.
Parton’s vibrant life was adapted intoitled Dolly: A True Original Musical that premiered in Nashville in July 2025 with plans of transferring to Broadway in 2026.
Kenny Rogers Dolly Parton
Kenny Rogers (left) and Dolly Parton.Wally Fong/AP/REX/Shutterstock
She also wrote the score for the Broadway adaptation of 9 to 5, for which she received a Tony nomination. In 2005 she received the National Medal of Arts, and in 2006 she received Kennedy Center Honors. In November 2022,
Parton frequently collaborated with younger artists, . She was also the godmother of.For the singer “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life,” maintaining her personal life was very important.
“I’ve told her some things that I think are valuable and that she uses, but I’d rather live [as] an example,” Parton of her relationship with Cyrus. “[I’d rather] be an example rather than just try to tell somebody to do this, do that because I don’t think that’s right. Everybody’s different.”
She owned the located in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. She was also heavily involved in philanthropy, most notably her Imagination Library, which mails one book a month to children from birth until kindergarten. She was inspired in part by her father, who never learned to read or write.
Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton (left) and Miley Cyrus.
Parton married . Dean opted to stay out of the spotlight but encouraged his wife. “He’s always supporting me as long as I don’t try to drag him in on it,” Parton “He’s always been my biggest fan behind the scenes, but he’s at home. I don’t think they’re probably showing much of this on TV, and if they do, he might see it.”
