Dolly Parton’s Family Will Be ‘Taken Care of for Life’ With the ‘Rest of Her Money’ Going to Charity

Even in death, Dolly Parton continues to give back. A source exclusively tells Star that the late country music icon’s fortune will benefit several of her favorite charities.

“Dolly’s got a huge extended family and she made sure that every single one of them will be taken care of for life,” the source says. “But the rest of her money is going to be divided amongst the many, many good causes that she so passionately supported during her lifetime.”

In 1995, the “Jolene” singer launched her literacy program, Dolly Parton”s Imagination Library, which has gifted more than 300 million books to children across the globe. She also gave out scholarships through her Dollywood Foundation and donated millions of dollars to medical research.

“Giving her money away to help others was a huge driving force for her [and] the reason she continued to work so tirelessly right up until the end,” the source reveals. “Even when she was sick, she was still working, and that’s because she wanted to make sure she could leave as much as possible behind.”

Over the course of her career, Parton — who was worth an estimated $450 million, per Forbes — sold over 100 million records and won 11 Grammys. But what the Queen of Country wanted to be remembered for was being a “giving person,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2022.

“She truly felt it was her calling to help as many people and animals in need as she possibly could,” says the source. “It took a whole lot of effort to sort it all out legally, but she managed to arrange it so all the charities she supports will continue to be funded long into the future, if not forever, just how she wanted.”

The Steel Magnolias star died on Tuesday, August 25, after a brief battle with cancer. She was 80 years old.