Dolly Parton Turns 80: Wigs, Wisdom, and Millions Given Away

The doctor who delivered Dolly Parton on January 19, 1946, was paid with a sack of cornmeal because her Tennessee family had little else to give. Today, at 80 years old, she's worth $450 million and has spent decades sharing that wealth with people who need it most.

Parton grew up with eleven siblings in Sevier County, Tennessee, learning guitar at seven and performing on television by ten. Her first charting song in 1967 was "Dumb Blonde," a cheeky response to stereotypes that still makes people smile today.

Despite multiple sources reporting her IQ at 140 or higher, Parton never took herself too seriously. She jokes about her famous platinum blonde hair, which has always been a wig (she owns over 350 of them to avoid damaging her real hair with bleach).

But the real story isn't her wigs or her wealth. It's what she does with her success.

Since 1995, her Imagination Library has mailed over 300 million free books to children from birth to age five across five countries. She started the program to honor her father, who couldn't read himself.

In 2020, Parton donated a million dollars to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help develop the COVID vaccine. When she got her shot on camera months later, she rewrote her hit song "Jolene" to "Vaccine" and sang it with pure joy.

Her musical legacy is equally remarkable. On a single day in 1972, she wrote both "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You." When Whitney Houston covered the latter in the 90s, Parton earned $10 million in royalties and invested it all in an office complex in a Black neighborhood in Nashville.

The Ripple Effect

Parton's generosity creates waves that reach far beyond individual acts. The Imagination Library doesn't just give away books; it builds futures for hundreds of thousands of children who might not otherwise have access to reading materials. Her COVID donation helped accelerate vaccine development that saved countless lives worldwide.

When she invested her Whitney Houston royalties in Nashville's Black community, she called it "the house that Whitney built." She also funds five annual $15,000 scholarships for graduates in her home county who can clearly communicate their dreams and commitment to achieving them.

Here's perhaps the most Dolly fact of all: She once entered a drag queen lookalike contest as herself and lost because she overdid her styling to avoid recognition.

After 80 years, Dolly Parton proves that staying humble, sharing generously, and keeping your sense of humor makes you richer than any bank account ever could.