There are stars, there are legends, and then there was Dolly Parton.

The singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist has died aged 80 following a brief battle with cancer. And somehow, despite a career stretching across seven decades, it still feels far too soon.

Because Dolly was one of those wonderfully rare celebrities who seemed to belong to everybody. Country fans adored her. Pop fans knew every word to Jolene and 9 to 5. Whitney Houston turned I Will Always Love You into one of the biggest songs ever recorded, but Dolly wrote it. She could walk onto a stage covered in rhinestones, make a joke at her own expense and then casually remind you that underneath all that fabulous hair sat one of the sharpest minds in entertainment.

And she used her success brilliantly. Dollywood became an institution, while her Imagination Library grew from a local Tennessee literacy programme into an international scheme distributing millions of books to children.

The music will understandably dominate the tributes. But Dolly was also an enormously likeable movie star. She didn't disappear into characters in the traditional sense. She brought Dolly with her. Warmth, mischief, huge personality and an ability to deliver a killer line as though she'd just thought of it.

So if you're spending the next few days listening to her music, here are five films worth adding to your Recce list too.

9 to 5

1980, Director: Colin Higgins The obvious place to start, because it remains an absolute joy. Dolly made her major movie debut alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as Doralee Rhodes, one of three women taking revenge on their spectacularly awful boss. She looks completely at home from the first scene, and then, just for good measure, wrote the title song too.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

1982, Director: Colin Higgins Dolly plus Burt Reynolds plus a big Broadway musical. What's not to like? As brothel owner Miss Mona, Dolly gets romance, comedy and plenty of opportunities to sing, including a beautiful new version of I Will Always Love You. It became another sizeable hit and earned Parton a Golden Globe nomination.

Steel Magnolias

1989, Director: Herbert Ross Probably Dolly's best pure acting performance. Surrounded by Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah and a young Julia Roberts, she plays salon owner Truvy with exactly the right combination of humour and heart. The film can make you laugh and cry within minutes, and Dolly is central to its warmth.

Straight Talk

1992, Director: Barnet Kellman A hugely underrated Dolly vehicle. She plays a small-town woman who accidentally becomes a Chicago radio advice guru, with James Woods providing the romance. It's light, charming and essentially built around the revolutionary idea that listening to Dolly Parton give life advice for 90 minutes might actually make everything better.

Joyful Noise

2012, Director: Todd Graff Dolly versus Queen Latifah in a battle over the direction of a struggling gospel choir. That's pretty much the pitch. The movie is unapologetically sentimental, occasionally ridiculous and packed with music, but watching those two personalities bounce off one another is tremendous fun.

Dolly Parton leaves behind thousands of songs, unforgettable performances and an extraordinary record of generosity. But perhaps her greatest achievement was making enormous success somehow feel warm and human.

The world has lost one of its brightest stars. Thankfully, Dolly left us plenty to remember her by.