Dolly Parton Built A CA Legacy From Hollywood To Idyllwild

LOS ANGELES, CA — Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose songwriting, voice, humor and unmistakable image made her one of the most recognizable entertainers in American culture, has died at age 80, her family announced Tuesday.

Although Parton remained closely identified with her Tennessee roots throughout her life, California played a recurring role in her career and private life, from homes tucked into the Hollywood Hills and mountain communities to one of her best-known songs taking shape on a Los Angeles movie set.

Here are some of Parton's notable California connections.

'9 To 5' Took Shape In Los Angeles

Parton's feature film debut came in the 1980 workplace comedy "9 to 5," alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. She also wrote and recorded its title song, which became one of her signature hits.

Principal photography ran from January through April 1980 in Los Angeles, with filming in downtown Los Angeles, Bel Air, Glendale and Montrose, as well as on a major office set at 20th Century-Fox, according to the American Film Institute.

Parton came up with the song's famous typewriter-like rhythm by clacking her acrylic fingernails together while working on the movie set, Vanity Fair reported.

The song later returned to Los Angeles in another form. Parton wrote the score for the "9 to 5" stage musical, which had its world premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2008 before moving to Broadway.

When technical problems halted the first preview, Parton stood up from the audience and entertained the crowd herself, leading a "9 to 5" singalong and performing "I Will Always Love You," the Los Angeles Times reported.

Hollywood Became A Second Stage

"9 to 5" launched an acting career for Parton that included "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" in 1982, "Rhinestone" in 1984 and "Steel Magnolias" in 1989.

Parton also became a regular television presence and produced projects through Sandollar Productions.

Her connection to Hollywood was memorialized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where she received a star in 1984.

Decades later, Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt were selected for a Walk of Fame star in 2019 recognizing "Trio," their hugely successful recording collaboration.

Scheduling conflicts, however, meant that second star was never placed, a Walk of Fame representative told Patch.

A Hollywood Hills Home With A View

Parton also spent time living above the Sunset Strip.

She purchased a three-bedroom Hollywood Hills house around 1986 and extensively remodeled it before selling it in 1990 for close to its $2 million asking price, the LA Times reported at the time.

The renovations included new decks and an outdoor living space designed to take advantage of the views, along with a larger primary bathroom outfitted with massage and makeup areas, a steam shower, sauna and spa tub, according to the Times.

A West Hollywood Hideaway

Parton later owned another property in West Hollywood.

She purchased the two-bedroom, two-bathroom home in 2007 for $1.2 million, though it was not believed to have been her primary residence, Realtor.com reported.

The home resurfaced this year as a rental asking $12,000 a month, according to the publication.

A Secret Solvang Retreat — With A 'Wig Room'

Farther north, Parton quietly owned a property in Solvang for roughly a decade beginning around 2004, SFGate.

The property, just blocks from the Santa Barbara County city's Danish-inspired downtown, includes three residences and a restored windmill.

When it went on the market for just under $2 million in 2026, the listing leaned heavily into its Parton history, including what it described as her original "Wig Room."

An Idyllwild Cabin She Gave To Charity

Parton and her late husband, Carl Dean, also owned a secluded cabin in the mountain community of Idyllwild for decades.

Parton was believed to have purchased the property in the 1990s before donating it in 2023 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California, Realtor.com reported.

The charity sold the three-bedroom cabin in 2024. When it returned to the market last year, many of Parton's furnishings and personal touches reportedly remained, including collectibles, framed artwork and a signed photograph.

The listing even suggested that a loft overlooking the home was a favorite place for Parton to write and play music.

• See also: Dolly Parton's Secret Idyllwild Cabin: 'If The Walls Could Sing'

Her Imagination Library Expanded Across California

Parton's California legacy extended well beyond entertainment and real estate.

In 2023, California officials joined Parton to announce the statewide expansion of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, her nonprofit program that mails free books every month to children from birth to age 5.

The expansion was made possible by bipartisan legislation and was designed to eventually make roughly 2 million California children eligible for the program.

California also became the first state to offer families the option of receiving bilingual English-Spanish books through the program.

Parton founded the Imagination Library in Tennessee in 1995 as a way to provide books to children in the economically struggling county where she grew up. It later expanded across the United States and internationally.

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A Familiar Face At The Madonna Inn

Parton was also a repeat visitor to one of California's most distinctive roadside landmarks: the famously pink Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.

Phyllis Madonna, whose family founded the hotel, recalled that Parton visited multiple times and that she once made a point of introducing herself because she was such a fan, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

The hotel later embraced the connection in its own way, hosting a recurring Dolly-inspired country disco.

City News Service contributed to this report.