Dolly Parton on her $1 million COVID vaccine donation: 'I probably get a lot more credit than I deserve'

Dolly Parton has lived a life full of acclaim and adoration, but she doesn't necessarily think she deserves too many flowers for her $1 million donation to fund research for COVID-19 vaccines.

"When the pandemic came out, I just felt kind of led to do something because I knew something bad was on the rise, and I just wanted to kind of help with that," the 75-year-old country music icon told Baylen Leonard of Absolute Country Radio on Monday (Aug. 16). "So I donated to help with that. Mine was a small part, of course. I probably get a lot more credit than I deserve, but I was happy to be part of that and to be able to try to stop something in its tracks that has really become such a monster for all of us."

"My heart just kind of leads me into where I'm supposed to go and what I'm supposed to do at the time," she added.

Parton first announced her donation April 1, 2020—just weeks after the coronavirus pandemic forced the United States into lockdown: