Dolly Parton's pivotal role in saving millions of lives with £814k donation to Moderna Covid-19 vaccine

Dolly Parton's pivotal role in saving millions of lives with £814k donation to Moderna Covid-19 vaccine While the music industry is in mourning following the loss of Dolly Parton, her legacy extends far beyond music and entertainment. Here we look at just some of the charitable causes Dolly was involved in over her lifetime The tragic news of Dolly Parton's death has left millions of fans devastated tonight and while she may be best known for her country music her legacy extends far beyond music and entertainment. Dolly Parton's death was announced by nephew Bryan Seaver on Instagram. “I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” he said. “It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.” Announcing her death, Bryan said she was now “in the arms of Jesus.” He added: “Surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.” Her team have now confirmed she was battling a form of cancer but type of cancer was not disclosed. In a statement shared with The Mirror on August 26, representatives for the country star confirmed that the “Jolene” singer’s death at 80 on Tuesday followed a “brief battle with cancer.” The statement read: "Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand. “Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones." While tributes have been flooidng in for the country singer here we take a look at just some of the charitable causes Dolly was involved in over her lifetime: Dollywood Foundation In 1988, Parton created the Dollywood Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving child literacy, funding scholarships and education, and offering community aid. The foundation's flagship programme is the Imagination Library, a free service that gifts one book per month to children from birth until their fifth birthday. After wildfires swept through Parton's home county in Tennessee in 2016, the foundation raised more than $12m for families who had lost their homes. Dolly Parton Covid-19 Research Fund When the pandemic swept around the world in 2020, she created the Dolly Parton Covid-19 Research Fund at Vanderbilt University, in her home state of Tennessee, which provided seed money for research that led to the Moderna vaccine against the disease. The kind-hearted star ploughed $1m(£814,000) of her own money to he Vanderbilt University Medical Center - a partner of the US company Moderna that has developed the Covid-19 vaccine. She said: “I am a very proud girl today that I had anything at all to do with something that will help pursue this crazy pandemic.” She told the BBC One Show: “I feel very honoured and proud. When the pandemic started many months ago I felt led to put some money into he programme at Vanderbilt Hospital, its a wonderful hospital and it’s been so good to me and my family over the years. "I donated a million dollars and they called it the Dolly Parton Covid fund. "Out of that, it got more money and it started developing many wonderful things.... I just felt very proud to be part of that little seed of money that will grow into something great and that will help to heal this world. Lord knows we need it.” Moderna’s president at the time Stephen Hoge told Sky News that through her financial support of Vanderbilt, Parton had indeed helped fund early research and clinical trials that led to the success. Parton has also donated millions more to pediatric infectious disease research, food and grocery programmes at the Salvation Army, assistance for Hurricane Helene victims and women's health services. Follow our live blog for the latest Dolly Parton tributes and updates by clicking here.