All About Dolly Parton’s Late Parents, Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton
Behind Dolly Parton’s dazzling career and global fame lies a story rooted in family, faith, and resilience. The beloved country legend, who grew up in a small cabin in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, was one of 12 children raised by Robert Lee “Lee” Parton and Avie Lee Owens Parton. Though Dolly would go on to become one of the most influential entertainers in American history, she has never stopped crediting her parents with shaping her values, her music, and her outlook on life.
A Marriage Built on Hardship and Love
Robert Lee was born in Sevierville, Tennessee, in 1921, while Avie Lee was born in 1923 in South Carolina. They married young — Lee was just 17 and Avie Lee 15 — and spent their lives raising a large family on very modest means. Lee worked as a sharecropper and later in construction to provide, while Avie devoted herself to the household. By the time Dolly was born in 1946, the Partons were already raising a bustling family, eventually welcoming 12 children in total.
The family’s poverty was no secret. In interviews, Dolly has often said that although they lacked material wealth, they were “rich in love.” In 2015, she recalled: “We didn’t even know we were poor until some smart aleck told us. We didn’t have money, but we had love and kindness — things money can’t buy.” One cherished memory Dolly has shared is the Christmas when all the children gave up their own presents so their father could finally buy Avie Lee a wedding ring. Dolly described it as one of the happiest holidays of their lives, not for the gifts they didn’t get, but for the joy it gave their mother.
A Family of 12
The couple’s children included Willadeene, David, Dolly, Robert Jr., Stella, Cassie, Randy, twins Floyd and Freida, and Rachel. Tragically, their ninth child, Larry, died just four days after birth in 1955, a loss that left a lasting mark on the family. Dolly, then just nine years old, later reflected on the “special bond” she felt with her infant brother and the heartbreak of his death.
Despite hardships, music was ever-present in the Parton household. Avie Lee, who had a strong singing voice, filled the cabin with old mountain ballads and gospel hymns. Many of Dolly’s siblings inherited this gift, with several pursuing careers in music themselves.
Supporting Dolly’s Dreams
By the age of seven, Dolly was already strumming a homemade guitar. At 10, she began performing on a Knoxville radio station. With her mother’s encouragement and the musical atmosphere at home, Dolly’s career blossomed early. Her parents, though unable to offer much financially, gave her unwavering support.
Lee, in particular, became the inspiration behind Dolly’s most famous charitable project: the Imagination Library, which provides free books to children around the world. Dolly has said that her father, who never learned to read or write, was her motivation to launch the literacy initiative. Today, it has distributed more than 200 million books globally.
The Coat of Many Colors
Perhaps the most famous story about Avie Lee lives on through Dolly’s song “Coat of Many Colors,” released in 1971. Inspired by a patchwork coat her mother sewed from scraps, the song tells of Avie Lee stitching love into every thread while recounting the Biblical story of Joseph. Though young Dolly faced ridicule at school for wearing “rags,” she later called the song her personal favorite of the more than 3,000 she has written. It became a symbol of resilience, faith, and unconditional love — themes that echo through much of her music.
The story inspired not only a hit single but also a children’s book and two NBC films, Coat of Many Colors (2015) and Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love (2016). Dolly has said those films gave her family a chance to relive memories of their parents and the values they instilled.
Honoring Their Legacy
Robert Lee passed away in 2000, and Avie Lee died three years later in 2003. Dolly has honored them in many ways, including tributes at her Dollywood theme park. Speaking of her parents, she once said: “They’re gone now, but we still feel them with us. Everything I am, and everything my music has ever meant, comes from the lessons they gave me.”
For fans, the legacy of Lee and Avie Lee Parton endures not only in Dolly’s extraordinary career but also in the timeless lessons of love, sacrifice, and faith that shaped her — and continue to shine through every song she sings.