Country legend Dolly Parton’s legacy reached all the way to Edmonton
Legendary country singer-songwriter, actress and activist Dolly Parton has passed away at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy that reached all the way up to Edmonton.
The Country Music Hall of Fame member’s death was announced in a video posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday. Known for timeless classics like “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” based on the titular movie in which she also starred, has amassed millions of fans from around the world since her career took off in the ’60s.
In Canada, Parton left a lasting legacy not just through music or movies, but also through her activism and commitment to children’s literacy.
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Parton announced a Canadian expansion of her Imagination Library in 2006, a charity that gifts young children with one free book every month. Since then, more than three million books have been gifted across Canada through more than 400 local community partners, with the program now reaching every province and territory.
That legacy reached Edmonton families through Ready. Set. READ!, an Edmonton Public Library program delivered in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
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The program provides children living in Edmonton with one free book every month from birth until age five, helping families build home libraries and develop a love of reading from an early age.
According to the charity’s website, the program has supported 4,964 children on their reading journey.
Since 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has distributed more than 2.7 million books to children around the world each month.
Alongside her long and celebrated career, Parton was also a devoted wife to Carl Thomas Dean, her husband of nearly 60 years. Dean, who largely stayed out of the public eye and rarely attended red carpet events with Parton, died in 2025 at the age of 82.
“Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt, Granny, Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you,” nephew Bryan Seaver said at the end of the video announcement.
With files from Natalia Buia