Obituaries
Dolly Parton's Chicago Connections, From "Straight Talk" To The Imagination Library
Parton starred in the movie "Straight Talk," released in the spring of 1992.

Updated on: August 26, 2026
Dolly Parton was a native and lifelong resident of Tennessee, but she made numerous visits and forged numerous ties to Chicago over the years — from filming the 1992 movie "Straight Talk" to launching her Imagination Library in Illinois.
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Parton died Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the age of 80.
Parton starred in the movie "Straight Talk," released in the spring of 1992. She played Shirlee Kenyon, a dance instructor from Arkansas who divorces her husband Steve — played by the late Chicago actor Michael Madsen — and moves to Chicago.