Queen Camilla’s literary charity has paid a heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton, celebrating the country music legend’s remarkable contribution to children’s literacy.
Parton died in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. While she was best known for her music, acting and distinctive personality, her charitable work also touched millions of lives around the world.
Following her death, The Queen’s Reading Room shared a message honoring Parton’s decades-long campaign to put books into the hands of children.
“Today we remember and celebrate the unwavering advocate for the joy and importance of reading, the icon, Dolly Parton,” the organization wrote.
The tribute also recalled Parton’s own words about the importance of making books accessible to young readers.
“Dolly once said, ‘You can never get enough books into the hands of enough children’... but she gave it a pretty good go, donating more than 300 million books over 30+ years through her Imagination Library.”
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 after being inspired by her father, who was unable to read or write. What began as a local initiative in her home county in Tennessee grew into an international program providing free books to children from birth until the age of five.
The program now operates across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. It has distributed more than 300 million books since its launch. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
“By putting so many books into the hands of so many children, she gave the most precious of gifts: the chance to millions of young minds of opening the door to imagination, possibility, and a lifelong love of reading,” the tribute continued.
The message concluded simply: “Thank you, Dolly!”
The accompanying caption read: “A message from The Queen’s Reading Room on the passing of Dolly Parton.”
