Tributes have poured in recognising country singer Dolly Parton’s decades-long charitable work in literacy and education, including distributing thousands of books in Ireland. The superstar, who died on Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, aged 80, was world-famous for her genre-defining hits including 9 To 5, I Will Always Love You, and Jolene.But she was also lauded for her extensive philanthropic work on literacy through organisations such as the Dollywood Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.The library, which sends free books to children from birth to age five, has gifted more than 270 million books since it was founded by Parton in 1995, inspired by her father, who could not read or write. The organisation initially handed out books to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up. It was rolled out nationally in 2000 following that success, and three years later the programme had mailed 1 million books to children around the US. It celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025, launched in Canada in 2006 and Australia in 2013, and in the Republic of Ireland in 2019.In 2024, it posted a book each month to one in seven children aged under five in the US. Free books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library being distributed to children in Tallaght, Dublin. The Imagination Library’s X account posted that their team were “heartbroken” at the loss of their founder, who was proud that the programme “grew into what it is today”.It added: “The world grieves with us today. And yet we find ourselves just as certain about what comes next. For decades, Dolly & the team at The Dollywood Foundation – home of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – worked to build something that would last for generations. So it will.[ Dolly Parton’s last act was to briefly silence America’s toxic political discourseOpens in new window ]“The work ahead has never felt more meaningful, and we will carry it forward as she lifts us all up. Dolly, we will always love you.”The Library of Congress in Washington DC, which claims to be the world’s largest library, said the singer was a “titan of children’s literacy” in a tribute posted on X.The library said Parton had visited it in 2018 to donate to its collection its 100 millionth book, and to host a story time.US secretary of education Linda McMahon also paid tribute to Parton, writing on X: “Her music, storytelling, and generous spirit enriched American culture for generations.”She added: “Through her Imagination Library, she placed millions of books into the hands of young children and helped spark a lifelong love of reading.” – PA