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Dolly Parton Dead at 80

August 25, 2026

Legendary country music singer-songwriter Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, her family announced Tuesday.

Parton’s nephew Brian Seaver revealed her death in a Tuesday Instagram video, saying he was fulfilling a request his famous aunt had made years earlier.

“My name is Brin Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” Seaver said.

“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.

“As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”

Seaver said the family’s grief was tempered by Parton’s deep Christian faith.

“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.

“But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.

“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”

Parton Spoke About Health Struggles Days Before Her Death

Parton addressed her declining health just four days before her death, saying she had neglected some of her own medical needs while caring for her husband, Carl Dean, before his death in March 2025.

“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” Parton told PEOPLE.

“You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.”

Parton nevertheless insisted that she remained determined to keep creating.

“But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago,” she said.

“I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’! You know me — as I’ve often said — I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”

From Poverty in Tennessee to Country Music Royalty

Parton was born in Pittman Center, Tennessee, in 1946 as one of 12 children in a poor family.

She began singing in her grandfather’s church at age six, started playing guitar around the same time and began writing songs a year later.

After graduating from high school, Parton moved to Nashville in 1964 and began playing clubs and writing songs for other performers.

Her breakthrough came when country star Porter Wagoner hired her to appear alongside him on “The Porter Wagoner Show.”

Wagoner helped Parton secure a record contract, though many of her early successes came through duets with him.

Parton scored her first country No. 1 in 1971 with “Joshua.”

That same year, “Coat of Many Colors” reached No. 4.

Then came “Jolene” in 1973, which topped the country chart and also crossed over onto the Billboard Hot 100.

Parton left Wagoner’s television show in 1974 and wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to her longtime creative partner.

The song topped the country chart twice before becoming an international phenomenon after Whitney Houston recorded it for the 1992 film “The Bodyguard.”

Parton Became a Crossover Superstar

Parton continued producing major hits throughout the 1970s, including “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” “Here You Come Again,” “Two Doors Down,” “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right,” and “You’re the Only One.”

As her ambitions expanded beyond Nashville, some country fans worried she was leaving the genre behind.

Parton dismissed those concerns in 1977.

“I want people to know there is a lot more to me — good or bad — than they’ve seen so far,” she said.

“All I’m askin’ is a chance to prove it. . . . . I’m not leavin’ Nashville.

“Roots are important to me, and my roots are here.”

Her movie career began in 1980 when she starred alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in “9 to 5.”

Parton also wrote and performed the movie’s title song, “9 to 5,” which became her first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100.

She later appeared in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” with Burt Reynolds, “Rhinestone” with Sylvester Stallone, “Steel Magnolias,” and “Joyful Noise.”

Parton also later appeared as a guest on Tomlin and Fonda’s Netflix series “Grace and Frankie.”

Decades of Awards and Honors

Parton released the acclaimed album Trio with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris in 1987.

Over the course of her career, she won an Emmy, 11 Grammy Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards, and three American Music Awards.

She also received two Academy Award nominations and an honorary Oscar.

Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999, performing “Coat of Many Colors” during the ceremony.

Her close friend and “Islands in the Stream” duet partner Kenny Rogers presided over the induction.

She received the National Medal of Arts in 2005, Kennedy Center Honors in 2006, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Broadway, Dollywood and a Lasting Cultural Legacy

Parton’s life was adapted into the stage production “Dolly: A True Original Musical,” which premiered in Nashville in July 2025 with plans for a Broadway transfer in 2026.

“I wanted to see it done while I’m still around, to be able to oversee it and make sure that it’s done properly in a way that I would want to see it, rather than to wait till I’m gone and let somebody else decide how they think it should be done,” Parton said when announcing the production.

She also wrote the score for the Broadway adaptation of “9 to 5,” earning a Tony nomination.

Parton remained closely connected to younger generations of artists, collaborating with performers including Beyoncé and Sabrina Carpenter and serving as godmother to Miley Cyrus.

She was also the driving force behind Dollywood, the amusement park in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains that became one of the state’s largest tourist attractions.

Her philanthropy was equally significant.

Parton founded the Imagination Library, which sends one free book every month to participating children from birth until kindergarten.

The project was inspired in part by her father, who never learned to read or write.

‘A Great Old Love Story’

Parton married Carl Thomas Dean in May 1966.

Dean largely avoided the spotlight throughout their marriage but remained a constant presence in his wife’s life.

He died on March 3, 2025.

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years,” Parton wrote after his death.

Days later, she released “If You Hadn’t Been There” in tribute to him.

“Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end,” Parton wrote while announcing the song.

“Ours is a great old love story. Most people don’t stay that close that long,” she later said.

“That’s a loss. Nobody can ever know that unless you’ve experienced it yourself. He will always be in my heart and in my memories.”

Health Problems Forced Her from Stage

Parton had planned to return to Las Vegas in December 2025 for her first extended residency there in more than three decades.

But she postponed the shows in September 2025 because of “health challenges.”

“As many of you know, I’ve been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures,” Parton said.

“As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000 check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”

“In all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you.”

Parton reassured fans that she had no intention of retiring.

“And don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” she said.

“But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.”

She ultimately canceled the residency in May 2026, saying she was “responding really well to meds and treatments” and “improving every day.”

Parton leaves behind one of the most celebrated careers in American music, with more than 160 million albums sold worldwide and songs including “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You” becoming permanent fixtures of American culture.

She was 80 years old.