(AURN News) — Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at 80 after a brief battle with cancer. Parton built a career that crossed racial, political and generational lines and was willing to confront inequality.
In 2020, as the country protested police violence, Parton declared, “Of course, Black Lives Matter.” Years earlier, she removed the word “Dixie” from her dinner attraction after learning it offended people. When Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” became a global phenomenon, Parton invested some of those royalties in a predominantly Black Nashville neighborhood, calling it “The House That Whitney Built.”
She also challenged sexism through songs, including “Just Because I’m a Woman” and the working woman’s anthem “9 to 5.” In 2024, the ERA Coalition honored her as a women’s equality trailblazer.
Dolly Parton rarely spoke like a politician, but her choices often carried a powerful message: dignity and opportunity should belong to everyone.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
