Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood Announce Plan To Honor Dolly Parton

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood announced a way to honor Dolly Parton "that celebrates both her remarkable life and her passion for helping children."

Parton "died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80 years old," per to an official announcement issued on Tuesday (August 25). The beloved country legend passed away "after bravely facing a brief battle with cancer," Parton's representatives confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE shortly after her team made the announcement.

Brooks and Yearwood will host "Dolly Day" on Friday, September 25, a date that nods to Parton's iconic anthem, "9 to 5" (9/25). "Dolly Day" will become an annual event at Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk, the couple's venue in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. On September 25, "Friends in Low Places will donate its entire income for the day to children's literacy," states a press release shared by Brooks on Thursday (August 27).

"Whatever the cash register says at the end of the day is going to Dolly's passion," Yearwood said in a statement. "This is 100% about Dolly and her love for children's literacy."

Parton was known "as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author," who founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to help provide free books to children from birth through age 5. The program, inspired by Parton's late father, has gifted more than 332 million books to children since its inception, Imagination Library 's website shows.

Brooks added in a statement of his own, "Dolly may be the perfect example of if you spend your whole life loving, you WILL live forever." Brooks notes that Friends In Low Places is located at 411 Broadway in downtown Nashville.

"There aren't words to describe what you mean to the world, Dolly," Yearwood wrote in a tribute to Partonon Instagram earlier this week. "What I do know is that you have always been a light, and now you are shining brighter than we can imagine. Our job now is to keep that light alive. WWDD? Love one another. You walked the walk. To say your energy in this life will be missed is an understatement. We will always love you."

The official announcement on Tuesday stated that "Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 - 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 - 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 - 2000). …At Dolly's request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Dolly's fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com. In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library."