LEXINGTON, Ky. — The board and staff of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Kentucky mourned the passing of their founder and the program's namesake, saying they remain committed to realizing her vision for early childhood literacy across the commonwealth.

Dolly Parton, the legendary country music icon and philanthropist, died at age 80, her family announced Tuesday. In a statement released by the organization, the board said in a release, "We are deeply saddened by the passing of our founder and inspiration, Dolly Parton."

The statement paid particular tribute to Parton's visit to Lexington in August 2024, when she celebrated the milestone of the Imagination Library reaching all 120 Kentucky counties. The program, launched in 1995, mails free age-appropriate books monthly to children from birth to age 5.

"We were so proud to realize her dream of the Imagination Library across the entire Commonwealth, and we will forever be grateful that she came to celebrate with us in 2024," the board and staff said in a statement. "She leaves a legacy unlike any other in American life, and it will live on every time a Kentucky child receives her gift of reading."

More than 120,000 Kentucky children under five currently receive free books each month through the program. The Imagination Library sends high-quality, age-appropriate books to children regardless of their family's income.

At the 2024 celebration event held at the historic Lyric Theatre in downtown Lexington, Parton described the Imagination Library as one of her proudest accomplishments. "It's good to be in Kentucky. I love Kentucky," she told the gathered crowd of over 500 program partners, library staff and literacy advocates.