Dolly Parton was around six when she wrote her first song: "Little Tiny Tasseltop," an ode to her corncob doll with corn-silk hair. Her mother stored it preciously in a shoebox.
"I loved that little doll," Parton wrote decades later. "I expressed myself and my feelings through writing - I’m sure what I was thinking was, 'Well, Tasseltop has to have a song about her.'"
Parton never stopped making music after that. The irrepressible country music singer, songwriter and actress whose charisma, heartfelt lyrics and business acumen captured the public's imagination for nearly six decades, died on Tuesday aged 80, her family said in a statement.
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in 1946, the fourth of 12 children, into a poor farming family who lived in a one-bedroom cabin in Tennessee.
Her father, Robert Lee Parton, was a tobacco farmer and paid a missionary a sack of cornmeal for delivering her.
There was already music in the family - her mother, Avie Lee, sang folk songs all the time and her aunt played the guitar and wrote songs.
To her fans, she was 'the American dream'. In a way, America became the 'United States of Dolly', where country roots could sit beside Hollywood glamour, where rhinestones could coexist with hard-earned wisdom, and where a girl from a Tennessee cabin could become a cultural universe of her own.
The singer, the businesswoman, the icon
She won 11 Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.
With classic songs including "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You," she became one of the best-selling female artists of all time, with over 100 million records sold.
Parton's wholesome personality, combined with her towering blond hairdos, flamboyant costumes and giddy delight at holding center stage, endeared her to Americans of all backgrounds and helped introduce country music to international audiences.
Over the years Parton hosted a TV variety show, starred in movies, and even created a theme park, Dollywood, a popular tourist spot in her home state of Tennessee - all in addition to her lauded work as a songwriter.
But the quality that gave her enduring star power was her ability to connect with people. Coming from a self-described "dirt-poor" family, Parton often stood in as a symbol of the working-class American and regularly threw her name and money behind causes she believed in.
Parton was a successful and shrewd businesswoman, and in 2022 was listed by Forbes as one of America’s rich self made woman
"I look like a woman but I think like a man. I've done business with men who think I'm as silly as I look. By the time they realise I'm not, I've got the money and gone," she once said.
‘’She was also a savvy businesswoman who wasn't afraid to make tough decisions. Armed with a quick wit and southern charm, she took control of her showbusiness career that spanned more than 60 years.’’ BBC wrote
Forever, Dolly
British singer and songwriter Elton John called Parton "unique and irreplaceable," while actor Colman Domingo said her kindness and example had inspired generations.
"We will always love you, Dolly," Domingo wrote.
American entertainer Pat Boone Boone said he first met Parton at a recording of country music TV show "Ozark Jubilee", which was hosted by his wife Shirley's father, Red Foley.
"She was cute, she could sing, and my father-in-law, Red Foley, gave her the opportunities to develop as a performer and to get confidence," Boone said.
But it was her spirit that was most noticeable, according to Boone. He said despite growing up in abject poverty, she always remained happy and positive about everything.
"That's what she did throughout her life, whether she was making movies or performing or trying to get somebody to listen to a song that she'd written. She was capable of just pushing right through in a very positive way, believing that good is going to come of it and it always did."
Country stars Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton remembered Parton as a generous and loving friend, while former Vice President Kamala Harris and other political leaders hailed her music and literacy work
(With agency inputs from Reuters)