Dolly Parton has lived a life full of acclaim and adoration, but she doesn't necessarily think she deserves too many flowers for her $1 million donation to fund research for COVID-19 vaccines.
"When the pandemic came out, I just felt kind of led to do something because I knew something bad was on the rise, and I just wanted to kind of help with that," the 75-year-old country music icon told Baylen Leonard of Absolute Country Radio on Monday (Aug. 16). "So I donated to help with that. Mine was a small part, of course. I probably get a lot more credit than I deserve, but I was happy to be part of that and to be able to try to stop something in its tracks that has really become such a monster for all of us."
"My heart just kind of leads me into where I'm supposed to go and what I'm supposed to do at the time," she added.
Parton first announced her donation April 1, 2020—just weeks after the coronavirus pandemic forced the United States into lockdown:
I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations.
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) April 1, 2020
The 10-time Grammy winner was later linked more specifically to funding the Moderna vaccine, as laid out by USA Today. Parton received her vaccination in early March:
Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine. @VUMChealth pic.twitter.com/38kJrDzLqC
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 2, 2021
In the video, Parton replaced the words to her eternal smash single "Jolene" with "vaccine," and it's delightful.
With Leonard, Parton also touched on 9 to 5 The Musical beginning its run in the U.K. at the end of August, her forthcoming Run Rose Run novel with James Patterson that will be accompanied by an album, as well as challenges for women in music as a whole. Watch the full interview below.
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