Dolly Parton showed cruel billionaires the right way to be rich

While famous rich people launched themselves into space, invested in bitcoin, and chased trillionaire status, Dolly Parton gave us a real lesson in how to be rich.

And following her death, that couldn’t be clearer.

The Jolene hitmaker would reinvent what it means to be wealthy with one key difference: being rich shouldn’t just be about keeping your money for yourself – it should mean acting on your newfound power to do something for others.

There’s no denying Dolly Parton will be remembered as a musical great. She was a genius storyteller, a charming vocalist, and an enchanting performer.

But rather than allowing her tremendous success to simply line her own denim pockets, Dolly took every opportunity to share her fortune. 

Dolly could have easily been a billionaire, instead, she dedicated her life to philanthropy – supporting healthcare research, children’s literacy, LGBTQ+ organisations, animal conservation, and disaster relief, particularly in her home state.

And if an opportunity didn’t exist, she created it.

It’s been reported that, throughout her life, she donated over $500million – although I predict the full extent of her generosity is yet to be uncovered.

In 1995, Parton’s nonprofit Imagination Library was founded, and mails free books to children from birth to age five, regardless of family income.

To this day, it has gifted over 300 million books worldwide, with one in 10 under-fives in the USA enrolled in the scheme. 

But her mission far exceeded five-year-olds.

Since 1991, via the Buddy Program, Dolly has been offering students who graduate $500, reducing dropout rates for 7th and 8th graders from 35% to 6%.

And in 2000, she implemented the Dolly Parton Scholarship, awarding a $15,000 scholarship annually to five seniors from her hometown Sevier County.

‘I didn’t have children because I believed that God didn’t mean for me to have kids so everybody’s kids could be mine,’ she told Oprah Winfrey in 2020.

She even donated millions of dollars to research and treat children’s diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Her charity felt endless – and is in stark contrast to so many of her wealthy counterparts. 

To me, she’s a role model. 

Dolly showed us the kind of longevity we should be chasing with her profound impact on those less fortunate and acts of kindness that will outlive even our children’s children.

From the $13m she helped raise for those affected by the 2016 East Tennessee wildfires to the $700k for victims of Middle Tennessee’s catastrophic flooding in 2021, Dolly’s millions always went where they were desperately needed, not where they would benefit her. 

She joined the fight against AIDS when her country music counterparts remained silent.

Through awareness campaigns, charity records, and personal donations, she promoted empathy and challenged stigma at a time when the gay community was facing rampant discrimination, and a little compassion went a long way.

In true Dolly style, this allyship continued long into her life, as she stood by the LGBTQ+ community when it wasn’t expected – or even safe, sometimes.

Her views on marriage equality, trans visibility, and chosen family were never in doubt, as she repeatedly reminded the world that love shouldn’t come with terms and conditions and religion isn’t a justification for judgement.

Her solidarity with marginalised groups was as loud and as vibrant as the flamboyant outfits she wore, the dramatic eye makeup she loved, and the high heels she was never seen without.

So when someone like billionaire Elon Musk exploits his platform to perpetuate transphobia and mistruths about a vulnerable community, Dolly made sure that any microphone she was handed on any stage she stood on was used to spread kindness – not encourage division.

And while business tycoons like Jeff Bezos earns in one second what it takes Amazon warehouse workers more than eight weeks to make, Dolly has been covering tuition and college book fees for her 23,000 Dollywood employees.

When Mark Zuckerberg did a 180 on his Donald Trump stance and donated $1m to his inauguration fund, Dolly declined the Presidential Medal of Freedom from him twice and once from Joe Biden, saying she doesn’t ‘work for those awards’ and she’s ‘not sure she even deserves it’.

Dolly has long platformed queer stories in song and on screen, repeatedly opposed anti-trans legislation, and exposed sexism in the workplace with humour and honesty in the 1980 film 9 to 5.

Meanwhile, UNICEF ambassador David Beckham stood by his $277m Qatar ambassadorship, despite its long human rights violation record. 

Do you think more wealthy individuals should follow Dolly Parton’s example?Comment Now

Celebrities should learn a thing or two about money and activism from Dolly Parton.

She could’ve exceeded the net worth of so many other stars, but instead of trying to sway elections, buy Twitter, or land her name on the side of a building, Dolly invested in people. 

She put her money back out into the world and took care of younger generations. 

Rather than just letting her money make money, she planted seeds of hope that will continue blooming long after she’s gone.

That is why her death is so agonising. Because she really was one of a kind, leaving the world with a diamond-shaped hole that’ll never be filled.

Thanks to her, children can read, families have homes, parents can put food on tables, and, every so often, there’s a reminder that the world isn’t as cruel as it seems.

The famous question goes, ‘What would Dolly do?’

It’s something more rich people should ask themselves. 

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

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