Support for a proposed Alabama licence plate benefiting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library rose sharply after the singer’s reported death, bringing it more than halfway towards the 1,000 commitments required for production. The plate would create recurring local funding for the literacy scheme, extending Parton’s philanthropic legacy beyond her music career.

Pre-commitments reportedly increased from about 40 to more than 550 within a day, with roughly $50 from each annual plate fee directed to the programme in the registrant’s county. Founded in 1995, the Imagination Library sends children a free book each month until age five; it has distributed more than 300 million books worldwide and currently serves about 114,000 children in Alabama. Organisers estimate one plate could fund books for two children each month for almost two years.