Dolly Parton: Country Music Icon Dies At 80
Country music icon, singer-songwriter, actress and philanthropist, Dolly Parton, whose career spanned more than six decades, has died at the age of 80.
Dolly Parton’s death was announced earlier today, August 25, by her nephew, Brian Seaver, in a video shared on social media.
“I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” Seaver said. “It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.” No cause of death was given.
Parton died in Nashville, Tennessee, after health concerns forced her to cancel her Las Vegas residency in May 2026.
She later said treatment had helped after problems with her immune and digestive systems. A Broadway musical based on her life is still due to open later this year after a run in Nashville.
Parton wrote classics including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You”, reportedly on the same day. She built a catalogue containing hundreds of songs, recorded a record 25 US country No. 1 singles and placed 47 albums in the country Top 10.
She also enjoyed major pop success with “9 to 5”, which topped the US charts in 1980, while “I Will Always Love You” became a global hit again when Whitney Houston recorded it for The Bodyguard soundtrack in 1992.
The Houston version remains the bestselling single by a female artist, with estimated sales of about 20 million copies.
Dolly Parton was born into poverty in a one-room cabin in rural Tennessee. She grew up as one of 12 children. She began singing in church, appeared on local television at the age of 10 and made her first record three years later.
After finishing high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a songwriter. She later found success as a country singer and released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, after recording a string of hit singles.
Her partnership with Porter Wagoner further raised her profile, and she scored her first country No. 1 with “Joshua” in 1971.
Parton also became a major film star, earning acclaim for roles in 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and other productions. Her duet with Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream”, became another career-defining hit in 1983.
Away from entertainment, Parton gained widespread respect for her philanthropy.
Her Imagination Library donated more than 150 million books to children, while she also supported hospital projects, wildlife conservation, wildfire relief and HIV/AIDS charities.
In 2020, she donated $1 million to Covid-19 research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, contributing to work that helped support the development of the Moderna vaccine. She also supported transgender rights and publicly opposed a North Carolina law restricting transgender people’s access to public toilets.
Parton married businessman Carl Dean in 1966, and their marriage lasted until his death in 2025. The couple renewed their vows in 2016 to mark 50 years together.
