DENVER — Dolly Parton, one of the most celebrated artists in music history, has died at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer, according to her team. Her nephew announced her passing this afternoon on social media.
For Aurora native Trey Taylor, the loss is personal.
Taylor remembers the exact moment Parton changed the course of his life.
"I was growing up in Aurora, and I'd walk by the TV one day. I was eight years old, and I saw this angelic woman, and she was singing a country music song, and I just was absolutely mesmerized," Taylor said.
That eight-year-old boy would then listen to the radio eight hours a day — just to hear Parton's voice.
Years later, working as a Walmart cashier to fund his own country music dreams, Taylor's devotion to Parton would come full circle.
"I was in math class, and my phone rang, and it was a Nashville number, and it was Dolly Parton's producer, band leader, music director of 35 years calling to offer me a chance to come to Nashville and become a country music star," Taylor said.
Taylor went from Walmart checkout to the Grand Ole Opry in just 2 days. But true to Parton's values, his education came first.
"She wasn't going to let me run off and get on tour busses, and her producer wasn't going to allow that," Taylor said.
That commitment to education was central to who Parton was — and her impact on Colorado ran deep.
Her Imagination Library program has delivered over 3 million books in the mail to Colorado kids.
"The Imagination Library program might be her crowning achievement," said Jack Tate, CEO of Imagination Library Colorado. "We all know her from movies, from 25 number one hit records, but the Imagination Library program - that achievement will be her legacy."
State Senator Jeff Bridges helped secure funding for the program during the pandemic.
"It is pennies on the dollar for the return we get," said Bridges, who represents District 26. "It is kindergarten readiness. It is third grade reading. We know that the ability of kids to read on grade level in third grade determines outcomes."
Back inside a Denver recording studio, for Taylor, Parton's passing feels like losing a guiding light.
"What we have to do is we have to continue to pour the good that we have into the world, community by community," Taylor said.
Now a touring Nashville artist, Taylor was inspired by a Tennessee mountain girl who never forgot where she came from — or the power of giving others a chance to dream.
"I get to do what I love every day because of Dolly Parton, and I will miss her," Taylor said.
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