Dolly Parton.Photo:Jason Kempin/Getty
Jason Kempin/Getty
You may knowDolly Partonas the flashy, outgoing and outright hilarious queen of country music, and because her illustrious career has spanned so many decades, it feels like at this point, you know everything there might be to know about her.However, with a list of achievements that includes 12 Grammys, funding a vaccineandowning her own theme park, among others, it’s also easy to overlook some of her wins as her list of accomplishments continues to grow.That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 10 fun facts you may not necessarily know about 77-year-old superstar, Dolly Parton.
You may knowDolly Partonas the flashy, outgoing and outright hilarious queen of country music, and because her illustrious career has spanned so many decades, it feels like at this point, you know everything there might be to know about her.
However, with a list of achievements that includes 12 Grammys, funding a vaccineandowning her own theme park, among others, it’s also easy to overlook some of her wins as her list of accomplishments continues to grow.
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 10 fun facts you may not necessarily know about 77-year-old superstar, Dolly Parton.
01of 10
Dolly Parton Wrote on Tina Turner’s Debut Solo Album
You probably know that Parton’s mighty pen is behind Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” but did you also know that Parton harnessed those songwriting skills forTina Turner?
According toGrammy.com, the country powerhouse wrote “There’ll Always Be Music,” which was on Turner’s debut solo album,Tina Turns the Country On!
02of 10
Dolly Parton Has 11 Siblings
Cassie Parton, Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton during ‘Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas’.Katherine Bomboy/NBC/Getty
Katherine Bomboy/NBC/Getty
Born on Jan. 16, 1946, in Pitman Center, Tennessee, Parton grew up as one of12 kids! Two of her brothers have died, but nine of her siblings remain.
03of 10Dolly Parton Helped Fund Moderna’s COVID VaccineIn 2020, the “Jolene” singerdonated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which helped in the research and development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that came out the next year.In a cheekyMarch 2021 tweetcaptioned, “Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine,” the singer was pictured getting a shot of the vaccine and encouraging others to do the same.
03of 10
Dolly Parton Helped Fund Moderna’s COVID Vaccine
In 2020, the “Jolene” singerdonated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which helped in the research and development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that came out the next year.
In a cheekyMarch 2021 tweetcaptioned, “Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine,” the singer was pictured getting a shot of the vaccine and encouraging others to do the same.
04of 10Dolly Parton Has Been Married for 57 YearsDolly Parton and husband Carl Thomas Dean.Parton has been married for — literally — a lifetime!The singer wed her soulmate,Carl Dean Thomas, on May 30, 1966 and the couple has been going strong since. Even more impressive is the fact that as public as her career has been over the years, she’s still managed to keep her relationship with Thomas under the radar.
04of 10
Dolly Parton Has Been Married for 57 Years
Dolly Parton and husband Carl Thomas Dean.
Parton has been married for — literally — a lifetime!
The singer wed her soulmate,Carl Dean Thomas, on May 30, 1966 and the couple has been going strong since. Even more impressive is the fact that as public as her career has been over the years, she’s still managed to keep her relationship with Thomas under the radar.
05of 10Dolly Parton and Her Best Friend Have Been Close Since ChildhoodDolly Parton and Judy Ogle.Ron Galella/gettyIf you think the tenure of her marriage is impressive, wait until you hear that the “Coat of Many Colors” singer has been best friends with the same person for more than 60 years.That’s right, Parton and her lifelong BFF, Judy Ogle, have been pals since they were wee tots. The pair are so close, they were even rumored to have been a couple, which Parton always denied.“So people say that — because you can’t really have a great relationship with a woman,” she toldThe Sunin 2019. “I’m not gay but I have so many gay friends and I accept everybody for who they are."“Judy and I have been best friends for 64 years, since we were little kids,” she continued. “Our parents knew each other, we grew up together, we were like sisters, became best friends.”
05of 10
Dolly Parton and Her Best Friend Have Been Close Since Childhood
Dolly Parton and Judy Ogle.Ron Galella/getty
Ron Galella/getty
If you think the tenure of her marriage is impressive, wait until you hear that the “Coat of Many Colors” singer has been best friends with the same person for more than 60 years.
That’s right, Parton and her lifelong BFF, Judy Ogle, have been pals since they were wee tots. The pair are so close, they were even rumored to have been a couple, which Parton always denied.
“So people say that — because you can’t really have a great relationship with a woman,” she toldThe Sunin 2019. “I’m not gay but I have so many gay friends and I accept everybody for who they are.”
“Judy and I have been best friends for 64 years, since we were little kids," she continued. “Our parents knew each other, we grew up together, we were like sisters, became best friends.”
06of 10Dolly Parton Owns More Than 100 WigsDolly Parton.Dave J Hogan/GettyParton is of course known for her musical talents, but part of her appeal is her appearance: the sparkly outfits (check thatDallas Cowboys outfit!), herfamous curvesand of course, her sky-high wigs.Talking about her elaborate hair pieces, the “9 to 5” singer toldEntertainment Tonight,“Once somebody asked me, ‘How many wigs do you have?’ I said, ‘Well, I must have at least 365, because I wear one almost every day.’ "
06of 10
Dolly Parton Owns More Than 100 Wigs
Dolly Parton.Dave J Hogan/Getty
Parton is of course known for her musical talents, but part of her appeal is her appearance: the sparkly outfits (check thatDallas Cowboys outfit!), herfamous curvesand of course, her sky-high wigs.
Talking about her elaborate hair pieces, the “9 to 5” singer toldEntertainment Tonight,“Once somebody asked me, ‘How many wigs do you have?’ I said, ‘Well, I must have at least 365, because I wear one almost every day.’ "
07of 10
Dolly Parton Is a Guinness World Record Holder (10 Times Over!)
Dolly Parton.Tibrina Hobson / Getty Images
Parton has earned her fair share of accolades throughout her career, and the 12-time Grammy winner continues to stack her shelves.
The three new accolades broughther total of Guinness World Recordsto 10.
08of 10Dolly Parton Once Lost Her Own Lookalike ContestDolly Parton.GettyDuring an interview with Robin Roberts in 2009, the singer revealed she once lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest."[It was] at a Halloween contest years ago on Santa Monica Boulevard where all the guys were dressed up like me and I just over-exaggerated my look and went in and just walked up on stage,“she recalled. “I didn’t win. I didn’t even come in close, I don’t think.”
08of 10
Dolly Parton Once Lost Her Own Lookalike Contest
Dolly Parton.Getty
During an interview with Robin Roberts in 2009, the singer revealed she once lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest.
“[It was] at a Halloween contest years ago on Santa Monica Boulevard where all the guys were dressed up like me and I just over-exaggerated my look and went in and just walked up on stage,“she recalled. “I didn’t win. I didn’t even come in close, I don’t think.”
09of 10Dolly Parton Has Her Own Theme Park (But Hasn’t Tried Out the Rides!)Dolly Parton at Dollywood in 1988.Ron Davis/GettyThough she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 2022, Parton has been immortalized in a much more thrilling way: through her theme park, Dollywood.Though the Tennessee tourist destination initially opened in the 1960s, it was relaunched as Dollywood in 1986, after Parton bought some stakes in the park’s parent company.“When I was growing up here in the Great Smoky Mountains, we used to come every now and then down to this area,”Parton toldUSA Today.“When it was the county fair, we’d come to town, and I used to think if I make it big, if I get rich like I was dreaming I might, that I’d love to do something special, to come back home and build a park of my own.”Though the theme park is widely popular, Parton appreciates it from a distance.“I don’t ride the rides,“she once told theNew York Times. “I never have. I have a tendency to get motion sickness. Also, I’m a little bit chicken.““With all my hair I got so much to lose, like my wig or my shoes. I don’t like to get messed up,” she joked. “I’m gonna have some handsome man mess it up, I don’t want some ride doing it.”
09of 10
Dolly Parton Has Her Own Theme Park (But Hasn’t Tried Out the Rides!)
Dolly Parton at Dollywood in 1988.Ron Davis/Getty
Ron Davis/Getty
Though she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 2022, Parton has been immortalized in a much more thrilling way: through her theme park, Dollywood.
Though the Tennessee tourist destination initially opened in the 1960s, it was relaunched as Dollywood in 1986, after Parton bought some stakes in the park’s parent company.
“When I was growing up here in the Great Smoky Mountains, we used to come every now and then down to this area,”Parton toldUSA Today.“When it was the county fair, we’d come to town, and I used to think if I make it big, if I get rich like I was dreaming I might, that I’d love to do something special, to come back home and build a park of my own.”
Though the theme park is widely popular, Parton appreciates it from a distance.
“I don’t ride the rides,“she once told theNew York Times. “I never have. I have a tendency to get motion sickness. Also, I’m a little bit chicken.”
“With all my hair I got so much to lose, like my wig or my shoes. I don’t like to get messed up,” she joked. “I’m gonna have some handsome man mess it up, I don’t want some ride doing it.”
10of 10
Dolly Parton Only Communicates Via Fax
Dolly Parton.AFF-USA/Shutterstock
AFF-USA/Shutterstock
“She gets upset when you don’t respond,” Cyrus said on a 2021 episode ofThe Graham Norton Show, adding that she herself doesn’t even own a fax machine. “It’s like, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t even know. Half the people watching your show might not even know what a fax machine is!’ "
“I never did get into getting involved in all that because it’ll take up too much of my time if I tried to get in touch with everybody who is trying to get in touch with me,” Parton explained on a 2023 episode ofThe View,seemingly referencing cell phones. “So I just say, ‘Fax me! Fax me or call me and I’ll call you back.’ "
source: people.com
