Jeff Bezos gives Dolly Parton $100m as Amazon founder reveals plans to give away most of $125bn fortune

Dolly Parton has received a $100m award from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. he money was given as part of Bezos’ annual Courage and Civility Award, which Parton is expected to give to charities of her choice. The 9 to 5 singer was given the award to honour her contribution to ‘kids, literacy and so many other things’. ‘Jeff [Bezos] and I are so proud to share that we have a new Bezos Courage and Civility Award winner,’ Bezos’ partner Lauren Sanchez wrote in a caption beside a video posted on Instagram. ‘A woman who gives with her heart and leads with love and compassion in every aspect of her work,’ she said. ‘We can’t wait to see all the good that you’re going to do with this $100 million award,’ she wrote. In the video Bezos and Sanchez can be seen giving Parton her award. ‘The award recognises leaders who aim high, find solutions and who always do it with civility,’ Sanchez said, explaining the concept behind the award. Video of the Day The award is given for the winner to ‘direct to the charities that they see fit’ she added. ‘The woman you’re about to meet embodies these ideals so thoroughly. She gives with her heart – what she’s done for kids, literacy and so many other things is just incredible,’ said Bezos before announcing Parton as the winner. After the announcement, Parton can be seen joining the stage before giving Bezos a hug and shouting ‘wow!’. ‘Did you say $100m?’ she questions. ‘When people are in a position to help, they should help.’ ‘I’ve always said I try to put my money where my heart is,’ she continued, ‘and I think you do the same thing,’ she said. ‘I’m going to do my best to do good things with this money, thank you Jeff,’ she added. The 76-year-old country singer has since retweeted the video with the same caption. Parton gave $1m towards vaccination research at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center during the pandemic. She also has a scholarship programme which awards $15,000 to recipients towards their college studies. Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com. and the fourth-richest person in the world, said he plans to give away the bulk of his fortune during his lifetime. Bezos will devote the money to fighting climate change and supporting people who can unify humanity in the face of deep social and political divisions, he told CNN, the first time the billionaire has committed to such a pledge. Bezos is worth $123.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a fortune that has declined almost $70 billion this year, but has surged in the past decade as his e-commerce giant surged past rivals. Critics have chided Bezos, 58, for not signing the Giving Pledge, a promise by many of the world’s richest people to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. For years he largely stayed on the philanthropy sidelines, instead focusing on Amazon and Blue Origin, his for-profit space-exploration company. But in recent years Bezos, has committed billions of dollars to charity and has increased the pace of his giving since stepping down as Amazon chief executive officer last year. His ex-wife MacKenzie Scott has sent more than $12 billion to nonprofits since the two split in 2019, mostly focusing on smaller charities in the US that are often overlooked by larger donors. Bezos has set his attention on climate change with his $10 billion Earth Fund and also announced a $200 million gift to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Bezos is also said to be interested in acquiring the the NFL’s Washington Commanders, possibly with music mogul Jay-Z as an investor.