Dolly Parton dies at 80

Country music icon Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80.

 

Parton’s death was reportedly announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, in a post on Instagram on Tuesday.

 

“I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now. It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” Seaver said.

 

United States President Donald Trump also reacted to the news, describing Parton’s death as a “true loss for millions of people” and ordering American flags across the country to be lowered for one week in her honour.

 

Parton, who rose from humble beginnings in Tennessee to become one of country music’s most celebrated singer-songwriters, had a career spanning more than six decades.

 

She sold more than 100 million records worldwide and became known as the “Queen of Country”, with hit songs including Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You.

 

Parton wrote more than 3,000 songs and won 11 Grammy Awards. She also enjoyed a successful acting career, appearing in films including 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Joyful Noise.

 

Born on January 19, 1946, in a two-room log cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children.

 

Her father, an illiterate sharecropper, later worked his way up to owning a small tobacco farm. Parton described her family as “dirt poor” but credited her mother with passing on her love and knowledge of traditional folk ballads, while her father instilled in her a strong work ethic.

 

Parton began performing as a child. By the age of 13, she had appeared on local radio and television in East Tennessee, performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and recorded her first single, Puppy Love.

 

After graduating from high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville the following day and began establishing herself as a songwriter.

 

She released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967, the same year she joined the weekly television programme The Porter Wagoner Show. Wagoner, an established country star, mentored Parton, and the pair went on to release several successful albums as a duo.

 

In 1973, Parton decided to focus on her solo career and wrote I Will Always Love You about her professional separation from Wagoner. The song became a hit for Parton and was later famously recorded by Whitney Houston for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.

 

Parton also wrote Jolene, one of her signature songs, around the same period. Both songs were featured on her 1974 album Jolene, which helped introduce her music to a wider audience beyond country music.

 

Her 1977 album, Here You Come Again, became her first album to sell one million copies and earned her first Grammy Award after almost a decade of nominations.

 

In 1980, Parton made her acting debut alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the workplace comedy 9 to 5. She also wrote and performed the film’s theme song, which became a number one hit and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

 

The film’s success helped launch Parton’s acting career, with subsequent roles in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), Steel Magnolias (1989) and Joyful Noise (2012).

 

Beyond music and acting, Parton built a business empire that included television specials, food products and Dollywood, the Tennessee theme park she acquired an interest in and renamed in 1986.

 

She was also widely recognised for her philanthropy, particularly through the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, which promotes childhood literacy.

 

Parton supported medical research, disaster relief and other charitable causes, including a $1 million donation towards COVID-19 vaccine research.

 

In 2022, she was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

 

“I just give from my heart. I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m gonna do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will,” she said at the time.

 

Parton’s health concerns became public in September 2025 when she postponed her Las Vegas residency. In recent weeks, she had also withdrawn from public appearances amid ongoing health issues.

 

Her death comes months after the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at the age of 82. The couple married in 1966.

 

Reacting to her death in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump wrote: “Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away. This is a true loss for millions of people.

 

“There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honour, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for one week beginning tonight at 6:00 PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”