Dolly Parton, one of the most celebrated and instantly recognisable figures in country music, has died at the age of 80.
The family of the “Jolene” singer announced her death on Tuesday, August 25, through a video shared on her official social-media accounts.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver delivered the news on behalf of the Parton family. No cause of death was immediately disclosed.
Parton’s death comes approximately 18 months after she lost her husband of nearly six decades, Carl Dean, who died aged 82 in March 2025.
Health struggles emerged before her death
Parton had recently withdrawn from several public appearances while dealing with undisclosed health problems.
Just days before her death, she acknowledged that she had neglected her own health while caring for Dean and was still recovering.
Despite those difficulties, the country music icon insisted that she remained committed to her work and still had numerous ambitions she hoped to fulfil.
Parton had also postponed and later cancelled a planned Las Vegas residency because of her health.
Her family did not disclose whether those medical issues were connected to her death.
The songs that made Dolly Parton immortal
Born into poverty in rural Tennessee in 1946, Parton was one of 12 children raised in a one-room cabin near the Great Smoky Mountains.
She began singing in church as a child and appeared on local radio and television before performing at the Grand Ole Opry when she was just 13.
After moving to Nashville following her high-school graduation, she became a featured performer alongside Porter Wagoner. The partnership helped introduce her to a national audience before she launched her hugely successful solo career.
Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” as an emotional farewell to Wagoner when she decided to leave his television show.
Her original recording topped the country chart, but the song reached an even larger global audience when Whitney Houston recorded it for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
“Jolene”, inspired by a bank employee who appeared interested in Dean, became another defining song of Parton’s career. It was later covered by performers including Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus and The White Stripes.
Other enduring hits included “Coat of Many Colors”, “Here You Come Again”, “9 to 5” and her Kenny Rogers duet “Islands in the Stream”.
Parton reportedly wrote about 3,000 songs and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
Success stretched far beyond country music
Parton crossed successfully into Hollywood with her performance alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the 1980 workplace comedy 9 to 5.
She later appeared in films including Steel Magnolias, Rhinestone and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Her career brought her 11 Grammy Awards, two Academy Award nominations and induction into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
She also became a formidable businesswoman through ventures including Dollywood, her hugely successful Tennessee theme park.
Parton’s influence extended into philanthropy through her Imagination Library, which has distributed free books to millions of children around the world.
She also donated US$1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020, contributing to research connected to the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
Seaver concluded the family’s announcement with an emotional reference to one of her greatest songs.
“She will always love you,” he said.
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