Dolly Parton<\/a>, the country music legend who died Tuesday<\/a> at age 80, leaves behind a legacy that extends far beyond her music.<\/p>\n Throughout her life, Parton gave back through philanthropic efforts that supported childhood literacy, medical research and people in need, particularly in her home state of Tennessee.<\/p>\n Dolly Parton performs live for fans at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Feb. 18, 2014, in Sydney, Australia.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Don Arnold\/WireImage\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Parton’s death was announced by her publicist. No cause of death was provided.<\/p>\n One of Parton’s philanthropic efforts was Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library<\/a>, the book-gifting program she started in 1995.<\/p>\n Parton launched the program in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, inspired by her father, who could not read or write.<\/p>\n The program, which provides free books each month to children from birth to age 5, regardless of their family’s income, eventually expanded across the U.S. and internationally.<\/p>\n “If you can read, you can self-educate yourself, and you’re just lost if you can’t,” Parton told “Good Morning America<\/a>” in 2021.<\/p>\n “I just think it’s important for children to learn to read in the early years, to learn to love books and all that,” she said at the time.<\/p>\n Parton’s philanthropic efforts were quickly recognized after her death, including by current and former world leaders.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump said he directed American flags to be lowered for the next week, writing in a social media post in part: “This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will.”<\/p>\n Former President Bill Clinton remembered Parton in a social media post Tuesday, writing, in part: “She rose high from her East Tennessee roots and never forgot where she came from. And she always believed in giving back, especially in her efforts to promote literacy.”<\/p>\n Dolly Parton performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center, Feb. 8, 2019, in Los Angeles.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Rich Fury\/Getty Images <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Parton’s philanthropy also extended to medical research.<\/p>\n In 2020, Parton donated $1 million<\/a> to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support research into COVID-19.<\/p>\n The donation created the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund and helped support early research connected to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Vanderbilt later confirmed that Parton’s money funded what a researcher described as “critical” early stages of the vaccine research.<\/p>\n Two years later, Parton donated another $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support pediatric<\/a> infectious disease research.<\/p>\n The donation supported research into infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance, and the diagnosis and treatment of infections in children with cancer.<\/p>\n “I love children,” Parton said in a statement announcing the donation<\/a>. “No child should ever have to suffer, and I’m willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible.”<\/p>\n Parton also stepped in to help communities affected by natural disasters.<\/p>\n After devastating wildfires swept through East Tennessee in 2016, Parton established the My People Fund, which provided $1,000 per month<\/a> for six months to families who lost their homes.<\/p>\n Years later, Parton again gave back<\/a> following Hurricane Helene. In 2024, she announced she was donating $1 million of her own money to relief efforts, with another $1 million donated by her businesses.<\/p>\n Her decades of charitable work earned Parton the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy<\/a> in 2022.<\/p>\n For Parton, giving back was closely tied to where she came from and the people she hoped to help.<\/p>\n “I’m just so proud to have been a part of anything that’s good and that’s making life a little better for people,” she told “GMA<\/a>” in 2021.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"America\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/8dc9cce2-f2ff-4a1c-ae49-3eb07a5e0ddc\/dolly-8-gty-er-260825_1787683440608_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"America\\"")
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