U.S singer Dolly Parton performs at Glastonbury Music Festival, England in 2014.

Dolly Parton will be remembered around the world for the songs, the films and her unmistakable style.

But for millions of children and families, her most important legacy may be found far from the stage.

The country music legend, who died aged 80, spent decades turning her success into programmes designed to help others — particularly children who might otherwise have been denied opportunities.

Her most enduring charitable project was the Imagination Library, launched in 1995 after Parton reflected on her own childhood and her father's inability to read and write.