The Conversation (0)
'I just hope I leave something good behind': Dolly Parton reflected on her legacy before death at 80
CBS Mornings
Alongside producing iconic tracks such as 'Jolene', '9 to 5' and 'I Will Always Love You', the late Dolly Parton – whose death, at 80, was announced on Tuesday – was praised for her philanthropy. She funded what would lead to the Moderna coronavirus vaccine, and set up the Imagination Library, gifting millions of books to children from birth to the age of five.
US president Donald Trump paid tribute to the beloved country music star on his Truth Social account, writing that she was “one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER” and her passing is “a true loss for millions of people”.
“In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The world loves you,” he added.
The post was criticised over on X/Twitter, with one calling out Trump for writing about the musician “like his administration hasn’t been trying to actively destroy American Education and undo so much of her life's work”:
Trump’s post not only sparked attacks on the 80-year-old personally, but also prompted other accounts to mention the fact that Republicans had recently defunded her Imagination Library initiative:
“Republicans defunded her childhood reading program this year btw,” tweeted the news account Headquarters:
The Republican-run state of Missouri defunded the Imagination Library, with a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education telling The Independent in June that the initiative won’t have funding to accept new enrolments due to a reduction in its budget for the 2027 fiscal year.
Michelle Anthony, regional director for Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Foundation, told the News Tribune at the time: “Unfortunately, the State has not fulfilled its commitment to sustain full funding for the program.”
The Imagination Library was launched in 1995, initially in her home county of East Tennessee, before expanding nationally and internationally.
It now operates in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and Republic of Ireland, and has gifted more than 332 million books at the time of writing.
Why not read…?
- Department of Homeland Security criticised over ‘loyalty’ Trump post
- 'Tense' conversation between and Trump and Melania sparks speculation
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.