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Amazon founder wants to donate his fortune

He's worth billions - and doesn't want to be anymore. So Jeff Bezos (58) has announced that he will donate his fortune while still alive. Not entirely, but almost.

In an interview with the US television channel CNN, published on Monday, the Amazon founder said: "Yes, I intend to do that." He wants to "build capacity" with his partner Lauren Sanchez (52) to make money meaningful. He did not give details. His estimated fortune is around 124 billion US dollars.

The first to benefit is country music legend Dolly Parton. The 76-year-old has been honored by Bezos for her charitable contributions. Now the singer can choose to which organization the prize money of 100 million dollars will be donated, explained Bezos' partner Lauren Sanchez at the awards ceremony on Saturday. Parton wrote on Twitter on Sunday: "I will try to put the money where my heart is. I'll do my best to do good things with that money."

The eleven-time Grammy winner, who was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles last weekend, received the "Courage and Civility Award" for her tremendous and long-term commitment, as Bezos emphasized. "What she has done for children, education, and so many other things is amazing."

The country icon supports financially weak regions in the south of the USA with her "Dollywood Foundation." Her children's reading program, known as Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, gives hundreds of thousands of children a book each month from birth through preschool.

According to a ranking by the financial service Bloomberg, Bezos is one of the wealthiest people in the world.