One of Dolly Parton’s final video messages included a special thank you to Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift after the couple made a $2 million donation to her Imagination Library.
Parton, who died at age 80 on Tuesday, August 25, shared the video on Instagram on July 3, the same day the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Swift married. In the clip, the country music legend thanked the couple for supporting the literacy program she founded in 1995 — and made a humorous request about their future family.
“Taylor and Travis, it’s Dolly, and I was just told that you two were making a donation of $2 million to my Imagination Library,” Parton said in the Instagram video. “I’m blown away and overjoyed with that gratitude.”
Travis Kelce & Taylor Swift’s Donation Prompted Dolly Parton’s Baby Request
Parton went on to recognize Kelce and Swift’s history of charitable giving before joking about what she wanted from the newlyweds next.
“Now, it’s evident, that you have made giving back a key part of your lives, so hey, when you have you firstborn, can I have it? Because that is gonna be one special baby!” Parton said.
The singer explained that the couple’s $2 million contribution would allow the Imagination Library to continue its work “even in bigger ways now with your money.”
Parton then ended the message with a nod to one of her most famous songs.
“So, thank you, and know that I will always love you,” she said before blowing a kiss toward the camera.
The Imagination Library began in Parton’s home area in East Tennessee and expanded significantly over the following three decades. The organization provides free books to young children and has donated more than 200 million books worldwide since its founding.
Kelce and Swift’s $2 million contribution was part of a much larger round of charitable giving surrounding their wedding.
Kelce and Swift donated $26 million to at least 20 charities during the week before their July 3 wedding at Madison Square Garden.
Their donations supported nine food banks, seven educational programs, three children’s hospitals and an organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty.
Taylor Swift Remembers Dolly Parton’s ‘Eternally Generous’ Legacy
After Parton’s passing, Swift shared a tribute that focused heavily on the singer’s generosity and the impact she had on others.
“A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right,” Swift said in a statement. “But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.”
Swift described Parton as “the gift that kept on giving” and credited her with showing people how to embrace their individuality.
“She was truly the gift that kept on giving. Dolly gave us someone to look up to while encouraging us to be who we are as individuals,” Swift continued. “Somehow she was able to give us her lessons about the world gently and honestly, simultaneously, and oftentimes hilariously.”
Swift also highlighted the combination of qualities she saw in Parton throughout her career.
“She managed to give the world the ultimate mystery and fantasy in some corners of her life, but to give full transparency in the ways that counted,” Swift wrote. “Somehow she was true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person. She possessed the softest heart when it came to the struggles of others, and a backbone of steel to defend her own self worth as an artist.”
Travis Kelce & Taylor Swift’s $2 Million Gift Sparked One of Dolly Parton’s Final Videos