NEW YORK — Dolly Parton was many things: A country star, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur, theme park enthusiast, Christian who centered acceptance in her personal theology and so much more. But for many, her death Tuesday has served as a reminder that at the heart of her legacy is her role as a songwriter. And around the world, people are streaming her songs en masse.
And on Wednesday, her on-demand audio streams jumped to 79.7 million, making her the most streamed artist, globally, on that date. 4. 8. 10. As of early Friday afternoon, three Parton books were in the top 5 on Amazon.com ’s bestseller list.
“I Will Always Love You,” Parton’s performance of her own classic, a song that was later made famous by Whitney Houston’s rendition, rose from 64.9K streams on Monday to 2.0 million Tuesday and 2.8 million Wednesday. “There Was Jesus,” her 2019 duet with Christian singer Zach Williams, rose from 85.2K streams Monday to 635.1K Tuesday and 682.0K Wednesday. “Tyrant,” Parton’s collaboration with Beyoncé from Bey’s Grammy winning 2024 album “Cowboy Carter,” jumped from 47.8K Monday to 559.2K Tuesday and 755.5K Wednesday. Sales for such Parton-related books as the memoir “Dolly Parton, Songteller” My Life in Lyrics” and a picture story based on her classic song “Coat of Many Colors” were also soaring.
