Country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, and people across the country — including in the Tampa Bay area — are remembering her legacy.
Parton died peacefully Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, her publicist said in a statement.
She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You,” that totaled more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams. Parton, who plucked bejeweled banjos, guitar and dulcimers with her long fingernails during performances, was a generous philanthropist and successful businesswoman whose projects included a theme park in the Smoky Mountain foothills near her birthplace.
Her career was forever influenced by her upbringing as one of 12 children born into what she called a “dirt poor” Tennessee family. She started her education nonprofit, Imagination Library, to send free books to children in Tennessee because her father, who quit school to work on the farm, struggled to learn to read.
RELATED: When was the last time Dolly Parton performed in Tampa?
Tampa Bay community reacts to Dolly Parton’s death
Several local businesses took to social media shortly after the announcement of Parton’s death.
Organizers from the Florida Strawberry Festival noted the country music star’s impact both on and off the stage.
“While we never had the privilege of welcoming Dolly to the Florida Strawberry Festival stage, she was certainly an artist we always hoped might one day make her way to Plant City. Through the years, we have been fortunate to welcome many of the legendary artists who shared music, friendships and unforgettable moments with her,” festival organizers wrote. “Her songs became part of the soundtrack of American life, but perhaps even greater than her music was the joy, generosity, faith and kindness she shared so freely,”
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall also echoed that same sentiment, posting a photo of Parton dating back to 2011, when she paid a visit to the performing arts center.
“As we remember a true icon, we’re grateful for the unforgettable memories she created here and the music that will live on for generations,” Van Wezel wrote on social media.
Walt’s Fish Market, Restaurant and Tiki Bar in Sarasota also put up a sign outside of its business, which reads “Jolene couldn’t hold a candle to Dolly.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.