Dolly Parton has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Most singers come and go, especially in a world where we’re oversaturated with music, but when it comes to a woman who came from a poor family and turned her life into one of giving, that’s something that endures.

I’m scarcely believing that we’re losing Dolly at the age of 80. Granted, there have been many kind-hearted souls who died way too young, but there have been icons like Betty White who looked like she was going to live until age 100 but checked out a few moments before the triple-digits. That’s where I imagined Dolly was going to ride off into heaven, at a time when I was in retirement and not just when I’m coming to discover middle age.

Dolly will be remembered for her music, especially for some of her duets with the late, great Kenny Rogers. We lost him a few years back, and maybe that should have been a hint that Dolly’s time was not as eternal as we might have hoped. I particularly enjoyed when they did Islands in the Stream. Growing up on that song makes me realize I’ve had a pretty good life.

Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, we all could identify her by her big bosom and her big hair. The hair eventually fell, but the big bosom had to remain because that’s essential to holding a big heart. Many singers give to a couple of organizations, but Dolly’s philanthropy was just as legendary as her music.

One thing that springs to mind is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which she started in honor of her father, who had never learned to read or write. Over 100 million books had been sent out to children from birth to kindergarten, as of 2018, to promote literacy. This wasn’t just for children in our country, but for other places in the world. I wonder how many children, like me, learned to read at such an early age because of Dolly’s giving.

As I sat down for a moment and looked online for tidbits about Dolly to make sure I didn’t forget something important for this tribute, I was floored to discover she’d composed over 3,000 songs. I think of myself as somewhat inspired for the stories I come up with, but to have that many ideas for talking about life, love and more, it’s just amazing.

One of those songs was I Will Always Love You, which causes a lot of people to think about Whitney Houston, because she also sang it. I remember when I was in high school and we sang the Whitney Houston version, and I recall wishing we could have sung the original. Both are beautiful, but Dolly’s voice was a little more subdued, making the message of love a little more pronounced.

Dolly didn’t stop at music. She was a guest star on television shows, and the one instance that springs to mind is when Dolly appeared on Designing Women for an episode where she came to Charlene in a dream as her guardian movie star. The fog machines were making the dream seem very cloud-like, and I find myself wondering if that was how everything looked when she approached the pearly gates.

People also remember the movies she was in, like Steel Magnolias and 9 to 5. However, my favorite Dolly film was A Smoky Mountain Christmas, where she has to flee from the city to a country cabin where she finds a bunch of orphans hiding out. She also has to deal with a creepy sheriff and a mountain witch, which might not seem like the most wonderful time of the year, but I was a kid with an active imagination, so it’s the kind of crazy premise I liked.

When you look back at most people’s lives, you can usually find some flaw or point where they hit a bump in the road or made some decision that derailed their life train. Not Dolly, though. She enjoyed success after success, kept focusing on others instead of being one of those superstars who looked down at the little people. When she gave, she gave hard, and that’s not something you see all that much of in the world.

I know this isn’t nearly enough to describe the beautiful soul that is Dolly Parton, but I also know there are hundreds of different ways people will remember her. Maybe it’s a particular song or movie, or maybe it’s an enchanting trip to Dollywood. She was an angel on earth, and now she’s just an angel in our hearts and minds. However, I’m fairly sure there’s one line on everyone’s minds as we mourn her passing—I will always love you.