Jolene, vaccine and cancer research — the enduring scientific legacy of Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton’s most enduring contribution to science, from a public point of view, is probably Dolly, the cloned sheep . Though that was a reference to her prominent mammaries, a fact she reacted to with her characteristic good humour, despite the controversy, but the whole story is that Dolly Parton, singer, celebrity, and philanthropist, who died at 80, after a short battle with cancer, also stood solidly on the side of science.

Her contributions have been eulogised after her death last week, following a battle with cancer, and as a result, more people than ever know about her vast contributions provided specifically for the advancement of healthcare. In fact, Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, wrote on X, of her passing: “Today is a sad day as we mourn an exceptional artist, a true champion of kindness, and ambassador of science and public health.”