A day of mourning for Dolly
It's inconceivable that we have lost Dolly Parton. How beautiful that we lived in the time that she lived. There will never be another. There just couldn't be. I can't help but feel especially low about losing such an icon. I don't usually get emotional or think much of it when celebrities die. They're human after all.
Her impact goes far beyond her music. While her music is undeniable, her philanthropy is incontrovertible. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has delivered more than 314 million books, and not just in the United States of America, which is just staggering! She's made sizable donations for disaster recovery, public health and childhood education. And somehow, she has remained universal in her appeal and non-partisan.
I just can't believe we've lost her. May her legacy live on through those she has helped and touched through her legendary songwriting and singing. She is truly a national treasure, setting what feels like an impossible example for what kindness and compassion look like.