Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 on August 25, 2026 - but despite decades as one of the world's biggest and most beloved superstars, she remained a country girl at heart.
In 2024, the musician and her younger sister Rachel collaborated on a cookbook together titled Good Lookin' Cookin', sharing some of their favorite recipes from growing up in Tennessee, where they were raised as two of 12 children born to Avie Lee Caroline and Robert Lee Parton Sr.
© InstagramRachel was the youngest, and Dolly the fourth eldest, and the family of 14 lived in a small two-room cabin in Locust Ridge, Tennessee with a farm of their own.
While their means were meager, the deep love and sense of community ensured they lived life to the fullest with Dolly sharng with EattWell that food was an important part of their large family dynamic.
"I think most families, big families certainly, kind of everything centers around the kitchen and food. We grew up with all of our grandmas and our aunts and our mom, everybody cooking such great country food," she said.
© Getty ImagesDolly and Rachel also shared insight into their childhood years and how those memories influenced many of the recipes in their book, with several coming from childhood favorites, most notably their mom's Skillet Cornbread, which Rachel learned to make when she was just five years old.
"It's one of my favorite dishes, period," the "I Will Always Love You" singer shared.
"If I'm making potato soup — Mama called 'em soup taters — or if I'm making a big old pot of great northern white beans or pinto beans, you have got to have a skillet of cornbread with that, no doubt about it."
© AFF/Alamy Stock PhotoThe kids often pitched in to help their dad on his corn farm. In fact, they even revealed that their father paid the doctor who delivered Dolly with a bag of cornmeal!
"We lived on a farm and grew our own corn," she added. "We had fresh corn on the cob (roasting ears, as they call 'em), cream-style corn that we would scrape off the cob, and we also shucked that corn when it dried in the wintertime, and Daddy would take it down to the gristmill to grind into cornmeal."
© Katherine Bomboy/NBCRachel also explained why for the two of them, who often spend time together in Nashville, creating a cookbook together made complete sense. "We knew we would have a great time, and that we'd get a chance to revisit family recipes and stories."
Dolly added: "We learned how much we truly do love each other and each other's company, and we're just happy to have something great we made together that we get to share. We hope people enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it."
