Dolly Parton defied country music's expectations for women and built a career on her own terms: experts

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News senior national correspondent William La Jeunesse goes through the legacy of country music legend Dolly Parton on 'The Story.' From the get-go, Dolly Parton was a force to be reckoned with. She challenged social norms, broke barriers for women in country music and ultimately helped redefine what a female country star could be. Throughout her life, Parton — who died Aug. 25 after a brief battle with cancer — helped "expand the narrative" of how women were perceived, not only in country music but beyond it, experts told Fox News Digital. "Dolly followed some other pioneering women like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn who had already challenged expectations and proved that women’s experiences belonged in country music," Dr. Tracy King, a chartered clinical psychologist, writer and pop-culture commentator, told Fox News Digital. DOLLY PARTON DIES A