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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Reanna Smith

Dolly Parton's huge net worth and clever business earnings as she launches wigs for dogs

Dolly Parton might be best-known as one of the biggest country music stars in the world, but the singer's success doesn't just come from her musical talent, but her skilful business dealings too.

And in her latest business endeavour the 9 To 5 singer has launched her very own dog apparel line, inspired by her love of pets.

The line, aptly named Doggy Parton, includes toys, clothes and even a pet-friendly version of Dolly's iconic blonde wig.

Announcing the line, Dolly said: "Puppy Love was my very first record and six decades later, my love for pets is stronger than ever. This inspired me to start my own line of Doggy Parton apparel, accessories, toys and more, with a little Dolly flair."

Dolly has launched a clothing and accessories line for pets - including a blonde wig for dogs (INSTAGRAM)

It might seem outlandish, but if Dolly's previous business ventures are anything to go by, her dog apparel line is set for huge success, with the Tennessee-born singer racking up a massive fortune during her long-running career.

As she launches her latest business venture, here's how much Dolly Parton is worth, how she's made her money, and what she's done with it.

Dolly Parton's net worth

The country singer has a lucrative catalog of songs (AFP via Getty Images)

Dolly Parton's net worth currently sits at $375million (£324million), according to Forbes' latest estimate.

Parton is self-made millionaire whose financial success can be attributed to her 40 years of singing and songwriting, as well as her stake in the theme park Dollywood.

The legendary country music singer owns a vast catalog of over 3,000 songs as she's held on to nearly all of her publishing rights.

Dolly even refused to sign over half of the rights to I Will Always Love You to Elvis Presley in the 70s - it went on to be covered by Whitney Houston two decades later and has proved to be a lucrative decision.

Now, every time one of Dolly's songs is played on the radio, used in a film or purchased, she receives a publishing fee. It's reported that she rakes in between $6million (£5.1million) and $8million (£6.8million) in royalty payments alone each year, and Forbes estimatse Dolly's songs to be worth a whopping $150million (£129million) in total.

But she's not just a talented musician, she's also a skilled businesswoman and most of Dolly's wealth actually comes from her theme park.

In 1986 the singer invested in the Tennessee theme park Pigeon Forge, which she renamed Dollywood and opened a hotel and water park on the site.

It's reported that the park, which is Tennessee's biggest tourist attraction, rakes in $3million (£2.5million) a year and Forbes estimated that Dolly's 50% stake is worth $165million (£142million).

What has Dolly Parton done with her wealth?

Dolly Parton has credited her financial and personal success to some simple advice from her mother that she's followed her whole life: "Always keep something back for you.”

Earlier this year, the singer spoke about the advice on The Kelleigh Bannen Show as she said: “You can give what you’ve got, but don’t give it all away.

“I pray also that God will, you know, give me enough to share and enough to spare when it comes to my money, but also to myself. Let me share everything I can, but let me keep me.”

And while she's established a hefty fortune by following the advice, she's also known for being incredibly generous and has gone on to donate millions of dollars to a number of causes, particularly in her home county of Sevier, Tennessee.

In 1988 she established the Dollywood Foundation, which saw the country singer helping Tennessee children to achieve educational success, and later launched Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which distributes books to children across the globe.

In 2007 she raised a total of $1million (£863,000) for a new Sevier County hospital, which included a $250,000 (£216,000) contribution of her own money.

After the county was hit by wildfires in 2016, she also established the My People Fund, which provided $1,000 (£865) a month for six months to families whose homes were destroyed.

And when the Covid-19 pandemic devastated people around the world, Dolly made headlines after donating $1million towards vaccine research, which resulting in the development of the Moderna vaccine.

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