Michael Childers, who captured famous Dolly Parton portraits, remembers the music icon

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - The world is mourning country music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer.

Tributes are pouring in from around the world and here in the Coachella Valley, she's also being remembered by those who knew and worked with her.

News Channel 3 anchor Peter Daut spoke in-depth today with Palm Springs icon and celebrity photographer Michael Childers, who captured one of the most memorable portraits of Dolly Parton, the iconic Parton on a haystack.

Childers said he sold more than two and a half million posters of the poster. And just in the six months, Dollywood Productions purchased all his photographs of her to use for future projects.

Childers worked with Parton several times over the past 30 years, and even co-chaired an event at his home to help provide free meals to people too sick to shop and cook for themselves.

He says she was an extremely funny and generous person.

When asked his favorite memory of the music icon, Childers answered, "She'd tell everyone 'I can talk like a sailor, but I don't like dirty words around me if you would please don't use any curse words.'

"She was the real thing," Childers added.

"She was so beloved by so many generations. Why do you think that is? What made Dolly Dolly?" Peter asked.

"Because she related to people and their problems and ordinary people, working people. Americana, she was total Americana. And I loved what she did with school libraries. Giving $15 million dollars worth of books to children. I don't know if people know that, but that's among her thousands of other charitable contributions," Childers answered.

Check Out: Sue Cameron, Hollywood journalist and valley resident, shares her Dolly Parton story