Dolly Parton gave millions to help others: Here's where her money went

Dolly Parton , the country music legend who died Tuesday at age 80, leaves behind a legacy that extends far beyond her music.

Throughout her life, Parton gave back through philanthropic efforts that supported childhood literacy, medical research and people in need, particularly in her home state of Tennessee.

Parton's death was announced by her publicist. No cause of death was provided.

One of Parton's philanthropic efforts was Dolly Parton's Imagination Library , the book-gifting program she started in 1995.

Parton launched the program in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, inspired by her father, who could not read or write.

The program, which provides free books each month to children from birth to age 5, regardless of their family's income, eventually expanded across the U.S. and internationally.

"If you can read, you can self-educate yourself, and you're just lost if you can't," Parton told " Good Morning America " in 2021.

"I just think it's important for children to learn to read in the early years, to learn to love books and all that," she said at the time.

Following Parton's death, the Library of Congress remembered her in a post on X as a "music legend and titan of children's literacy."

The Library of Congress noted that Parton's Imagination Library received multiple Library Literacy Awards and that in 2018, Parton visited the library to donate the program's 100 millionth book to its collection and host a story time.

Parton's philanthropic efforts were also remembered by current and former world leaders.

President Donald Trump said he directed American flags to be lowered for the next week, writing in a social media post in part: "This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will."

Former President Bill Clinton remembered Parton in a social media post Tuesday, writing, in part: "She rose high from her East Tennessee roots and never forgot where she came from. And she always believed in giving back, especially in her efforts to promote literacy."

In 2020, Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support research into COVID-19.