Dorothy

She was funnier than I expected, and warmer. Parton’s artifice – the look, the folksiness, the ready quips – was clearly part of her armour. You can deflect any tricky question, or criticism, with a well timed boob joke. But somehow it didn’t feel fake. It was her creation, but it was still her. I had no illusions I’d get to the real Parton, whatever that was, in our hour together – she even went to bed with her makeup on, she said, because she didn’t want to go to bed “looking tacky” for her husband.

Three years on I’ve softened towards Parton’s refusal to add to the noise, to label herself, to take sides, to inevitably alienate and polarise and condemn. Deeds not words. Parton’s deeds – living as a feminist, if not calling herself one, and her philanthropy, and of course her music – speak for themselves. I had it for an hour in that hotel room, just the hack who happened to be chosen for that assignment, but we were all lucky to be touched by Parton’s light.

In 1980 Parton co-starred in the feminist comedy 9 to 5 with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, and also recorded its theme song. A monumental success, the song remains so ingrained in American culture that many people still quote from it without even realizing it. The song won two Grammys in the country categories, but lost song of the year to “Bette Davis Eyes”—which is a good song, but come on.

Parton ended the decade with another non-musical hit burnishing that reputation: the 1989 comedy-drama Steel Magnolias, which again placed her in an all-star cast, this time including Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah, and a young Julia Roberts. It would be easy enough to assume, based on her two biggest movie successes, that her fortunes were lifted by acting alongside various luminaries. But the truth is, Parton rose to meet the level of her more experienced co-stars. Most of the movies that seemed more specifically designed to play to her strengths weren’t as successful, for her or others involved. Perhaps most prominently, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas followed 9 to 5, and shared with it director Colin Higgins.

As the legend goes, Parton and Carl Dean were in a bank and the teller (with flamin’ locks of auburn hair) was gorgeous enough to make Dolly Parton feel inadequate. The jumpy, emotionally bare song was a smash, and would later be covered by Olivia Newton John, the White Stripes, and Beyoncé, among others. What’s more, Parton is believed to have written “Jolene” on the same night she composed “I Will Always Love You,” a farewell ode to Porter Wagoner. She recorded it to great acclaim at the time, but years later it became a powerhouse hit for Whitney Houston.

“I Will Always Love You” marked an important step for Parton as an independent businesswoman. She was approached by Col. Tom Parker, saying that Elvis Presely was eager to record the song. He is said to have sung it to Priscilla Presley as their divorce was finalized. But to make a deal, Presely would require half of the publishing rights. Parton declined, just a day before the scheduled session—a risky move at the time that secured a great fortune for the future.

Jolene, her unforgettably raw and desperate plea to a rival lover, was released in 1973 and became her first UK success, reaching No 7. I Will Always Love You, written to Wagoner as a farewell after their creative partnership, was a country No 1 in 1974 and again via a re-recorded version in 1982, and would go on to be a huge pop success when revived by Whitney Houston for the soundtrack of The Bodyguard in 1992: it is still the bestselling single of all time by a woman, with an estimated 20m sales.

Parton, whose accolades included 11 Grammy awards, an Emmy, the Oscars’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and recognition from sources as diverse as Ms. Magazine and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, was born in 1946 in the small community of Pittman Center, Tennessee, near the Great Smoky Mountains. The family soon moved to a one-bedroom cabin in the nearby town of Locust Ridge, a dwelling that figures proudly in Parton’s rags-to-riches lore. She was one of 12 children; Parton’s father worked as a sharecropper and tobacco planter, and her mother entertained the large family with Appalachian stories and music.

In 1977, Parton began producing her own recordings, beginning with the album New Harvest…First Gathering, which saw her incorporating more pop elements into her sound. She became a mainstay on television specials throughout the late 1977s, flashing her winning smile and sharp wit, oftentimes punching back at “just jokin’” barbs about her appearance. No one was quicker to make cracks about her own bustline than Dolly Parton.

The following year, Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt joined forces to release Trio, a platinum-selling album of (mostly) cover songs, which also won Parton her fourth Grammy Award. Her 1989 album White Limozeen included the hit “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That” and a bluegrass cover of REO Speedwagon’s “Time for Me to Fly,” closing out a monumental decade.

In 1986, Parton took partial ownership of a pre-existing amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and renamed it Dollywood. In addition to thrill rides and savory foods, the park includes a replica of the small cabin where Parton once lived in nearby Locust Ridge.

"My sister was always thinking of others and if you want to honor her legacy, show more kindness, lift others up and give more of your time and resources as she continued to do to the very end," Stella wrote.

Parton’s family will hold a small, private service for the country music icon, honoring her wish to be remembered by her immediate loved ones.

"I’m just putting that all on hold," Parton said. Also, shortly after Dean's death, Parton told People that she would always keep him close to her heart.