Avie Lee Owens is no one other than the mother of American singer, lyricist, and actress Dolly Parton. Let’s read further about Avie, her life, death, Dolly, her life, success, her mother’s role, and much more.
Short Bio
Avie was born on 5 October 1923 in Sevierville, Tennessee, United States of America. She was the daughter of Rena Kansas Owens and Jake Robert Owens. She was born in Lockhart which is a small cotton farming community in South Carolina. Her father was a preacher. She had a total of 6 siblings. She used to play guitar and has released albums of herself titled Smoky Mountain Momma.
Married Life
Avie married Robert Lee Parton in 1939. They together had 12 children named Willadeene, David, Dolly, Robert Jr., Stella, Cassie, Randy, Larry, twins Floyd and Freida, and Rachel. Both of them lived with each other’s love and support for almost 60 years in the marriage until the death of Parton in 2000. She had 4 grandchildren.
Death
Unfortunately, Avie after the death of her spouse Robert in the year 2000 took her last breath in 2003. She died due to a series of strokes. She is buried at Angel Hill Cemetery in Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee, United States of America.
Avie’s Daughter: Dolly
Avie’s daughter Dolly was born on 19 January 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee, United States of America. She is the daughter of Avie and Robert Lee. She attended Sevier County High School. Besides being a singer, she is a lyricist, philanthropist, and actress.
In 1967, she joined the show Porter Wagoner but initially, the audience was unhappy with her replacement for Norma Jean and later the audience accepted her as a replacement. She then released her first song named The Last Thing On My Mind in 1967. She released her first solo album Just Because I’m a Woman in 1968. After this, she gave many super hit solo albums and songs like Joshua, Coat of Many Colors, Touch Your Woman, and My Tennessee Mountain Home.
She plays instruments like Vocals, guitar, banjo, piano, autoharp, violin, Appalachian, dulcimer, harmonica, and saxophone. Moreover, she makes songs and albums in the genres of Country, Country Pop, Bluegrass, Gospel, and Rock.
Her first self-produced song was New Harvest…First Gathering in 1977. Then she sang a song for the movie 9 to 5. She sang country and bluegrass songs and albums like Rockin’ Years, To Know Him Is To Love Him, and The River Unbroken. She was awarded the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
She is a philanthropist as well. She helped in the funding of the Moderna vaccine in the USA. She even donated $1 Million to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital for the treatment of leukemia. Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville in June 2022, to help pediatric infectious disease research. Dolly is a strong supporter of LGBTQ+ rights all over the world and is even outspoken about her support.
Dolly married Carl Thomas Dean on 30 May 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia. Carl used to run an asphalt road paving business. The couple does not have any children. They are living happily and are supportive of each other even after 55 years of their marriage.
Conclusion
Avie was the proud celebrity parent of Dolly. She always supported her daughter to make a career in the music industry. She was not able to make her career in the industry but she supported her daughter and played a great role in her success as a singer.
