{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hagerty.senate.gov/press-releases/2026/09/18/hagerty-colleagues-lead-passage-of-resolution-honoring-the-life-and-legacy-of-dolly-parton/", "Hagerty, Colleagues Lead Passage of Resolution Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dolly Parton", "2026-09-18", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Bill Hagerty", "H000601", "www.hagerty.senate.gov", "hagerty", "https://www.hagerty.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "Parton was a lifelong Tennessean and an internationally beloved entertainer and philanthropist\n\nWASHINGTON\u2014United States Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) led passage of a resolution honoring the life and legacy of country music star Dolly Parton.\n\nRepresentative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) introduced a companion resolution in the United States House of Representatives.\n\nBorn in Locust Ridge, Tenn., Parton began her nearly 70-year musical career at age 10 and made her Grand Ole Opry debut at age 13. Over the next six decades, she wrote nearly 3,000 songs and sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including timeless classics such as \u201cJolene,\u201d \u201cI Will Always Love You,\u201d and \u201c9 to 5.\u201d\n\nParton cemented her status as one of the most successful female artists of all time. She received 32 prestigious entertainment awards and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.\n\nBeyond music, Parton dedicated much of her life to bettering her community, particularly in East Tennessee. In 1988, she founded the Dollywood Foundation, an organization committed to providing East Tennessee students with resources to further their education.\n\nParton went on to establish the Imagination Library, a charitable program that has provided over 332 million free books to children across the globe. She also raised more than $12 million for those affected by deadly wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains in 2016.\n\nIn addition to her philanthropic work, Parton was a successful businesswoman. In 1986, she opened Dollywood, a popular theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., which has since become a major East Tennessee economic driver and international tourist destination.\n\nFor her final business endeavor, Parton took inspiration from her years traveling on tour buses to establish Dolly\u2019s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tenn., in June 2026.\n\nParton passed away on Aug. 25 at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn., surrounded by family and loved ones following a brief battle with cancer.\n\n\u201cDolly is truly a Tennessee legend,\u201d said Hagerty. \u201cFrom her humble beginnings in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains to worldwide fame, Dolly exemplified the American Dream. Whether she was performing on stages across the globe, creating opportunities for families to make memories in Dollywood, or fostering a love of reading through her Imagination Library, Dolly lived a life dedicated to encouraging others to dream just as boldly as she did. She never forgot where she came from and left an indelible cultural and economic impact on our state. She will be very dearly missed, and I\u2019m happy to help lead this effort in the Senate.\u201d\n\n\u201cDolly Parton was a Tennessee treasure who lived out the Volunteer Spirit, loved our nation, and opened doors of opportunity for countless people,\u201d said Blackburn. \u201cWhile there are no words to fully express the sorrow all Tennesseans feel in her loss, I hope this resolution plays at least a small part in ensuring that her legacy is never forgotten, and I am honored to lead it in the Senate.\u201d\n\n\u201cDolly Parton was a legend, an icon, and an inspiration. Las Vegans and visitors enjoyed her shows for close to half a century, and books from her Imagination Library line the bookshelves of countless Nevada children,\u201d said Cortez Masto. \u201cToday, we stand together to honor her contributions to American music, her lifetime of generosity and service, and her embrace of all people.\u201d\n\nA copy of the resolution can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-19T09:11:33Z", "2026-09-19T09:12:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hagerty.senate.gov/press-releases/2026/09/18/hagerty-colleagues-lead-passage-of-resolution-honoring-the-life-and-legacy-of-dolly-parton/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9438833221793175, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}