Dolly Parton left sweet message for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in final video before her death
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: One of Dolly Parton's final public videos was a heartfelt and humorous thank-you to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for their $2 million donation to her Imagination Library.
Parton, who died at 80 on Tuesday, August 25 following a brief battle with cancer, shared the message on Instagram on July 3, the day the couple married. The donation was part of Swift and Kelce's larger $26 million charitable giving to organizations across the country.
Dolly Parton thanked Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for their $2 million donation
In the video, Parton appeared in an all-white look with her signature intricately detailed makeup and thanked the couple for their generous contribution. “Taylor and Travis, it’s Dolly, and I was just told that you two were making a donation of $2 million to my Imagination Library,” Parton said adding, “I’m blown away and overjoyed with that gratitude.”
She then joked about the couple’s future family, saying, “Now, it’s evident, that you have made giving back a key part of your lives, so hey, when you have you firstborn, can I have it? Because that is gonna be one special baby!”
She added that the gift would allow the Imagination Library to continue its mission “even in bigger ways now with your money.” Parton concluded by thanking the couple and saying she would “always love” them, referencing her 1974 hit song before blowing a kiss to the camera.
Her caption also thanked the couple for their “generous gift” and wished them the best. Parton and Swift had a longstanding friendship, with Parton supporting Swift as her career began in Nashville in the early 2000s, while Swift later wrote and performed 'Crazier' for Parton’s goddaughter Miley Cyrus’ 2009 film 'Hannah Montana: The Movie.'
Swift praised her humor, artistry and influence in a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, calling her a force of “evolution and transformation” in the industry. In 2024, Parton told E! News, “I’m crazy about Taylor,” while praising her career and describing the couple’s romance as a “little love affair.”
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library supported children's literacy
Founded in 1995, Parton’s Imagination Library initially focused on her hometown of Sevierville in the Smoky Mountains. The organization has provided books to children from underserved communities and donated more than 200 million books worldwide.
In a 2023 statement, Parton said, “I know there are children in communities around the world with big dreams and the seeds of these dreams are often found in books.” She described helping instill a love of reading through the program as “one of my greatest gifts in life.”
Swift and Kelce’s $26 million in donations, announced by her representative to PEOPLE on July 2, also included City Harvest, the Food Bank for NYC, New York Cares, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Harvesters in Kansas City, The Store in Nashville, Helping Harvest in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Feeding America, the ASPCA and Grammy in the Schools.
Dolly Parton died at 80 after a brief battle with cancer
Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video on August 25. She was admitted to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville on August 21 and died four days later.
Her representatives confirmed that she had faced a “brief battle with cancer,” while the type of cancer was not disclosed. PEOPLE previously reported that she had been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues. Her 2025 Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace had previously been canceled because of “health challenges.”
