Dolly Parton, Country Music Star, Dies at 80

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Country music star Dolly Parton died in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday. She was 80 years old.

Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death in a video publicly today.

I am speaking for the Parton and Owens family today, to share that my Aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean has passed away. She was a sister, aunt, and grandmother to one generation and a great‑grandmother to the next. Dolly asked me years ago to make this video announcement, and I am now sharing it.

I have been Dolly’s head of security for more than twenty years, a job my father Larry held before me. I imagined this moment, but I did not truly feel it until now. It is an honor mixed with great pride and deep sadness still in our, though the sadness belongs to us, not to Dolly.

Seaver said Dolly lived “in the light” and is now “in the arms of Jesus, reunited with Carl, her parents, and many others who watched her life and waited for her to join them in heaven forever always together.”

I first traveled with Dolly as a child in the early 1980s, learning what life on the road was like. Dolly opened doors not only for me and my family, but also for many singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers worldwide. She gave us chances we never imagined, and her influence reaches every continent, inspiring new artists every day, teaching us to work hard and stay humble.

By her example we learned that anything is possible. She never saw a door she could not open, and the doors she opened changed history. My family and I have many beautiful memories with Dolly, and so do you.

Our family and the team she trusted will work hard to keep her spirit alive with us forever.

Dolly called me and said she wants to rest on a soft cotton bed because after a life of heavy rhinestones she finally deserves comfort and rest. Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly.

Dolly wrote hundreds of songs, like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You.” Those songs sold over 100 million copies and were streamed more than a billion times. She played jeweled banjos, guitars and dulcimers with her long nails, gave to charity, and ran a successful business that includes a theme park near her hometown in the Smoky Mountains.

She grew up in a very poor family of twelve children in Tennessee. Her father left school to work on the farm, so she started the Imagination Library, a nonprofit that sends free books to children in Tennessee.

Dolly first sang in church where her grandfather was a preacher. By age ten she was learning guitar and appearing on local TV. At thirteen she performed at the Grand Ole Opry, and Johnny Cash introduced her as “a little girl from East Tennessee.”

In 1974 she released the hit “I Will Always Love You,” winning the Country Music Association’s female vocalist award in 1975 and 1976. She turned down Elvis Presley’s offer to record it because she would not give up publishing rights.

Years later Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” became a huge hit for the 1992 movie The Bodyguard and broke sales records. Houston won a Grammy for it in 1994, presented by Dolly.

In her first major film role Dolly acted with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as office workers who rebel against a cruel boss in the movie 9 to 5.

The stage version 9 to 5: The Musical opened in 2009, and DOLLY: A True Original Musical was set to open in December 2026.

In May Dolly gave a health update after cancelling her Las Vegas residency because of ongoing health problems.

On Instagram she wrote, “Thank you for standing by me and showing love and support this past year. I still have healing to do, but I am on my way. See you soon.”

In a video on her Instagram she said, “I have good news and a little bad news. The good news is I am responding well to medication and treatment and I am improving each day.”

She added, “The bad news is it will take a little time before I can perform on stage, because some medicines make me feel a bit dizzy, as my grandma used to say. I also can’t be dizzy while carrying banjos and guitars on high heels, and you know I will still wear them.”

She asked fans to think of her as “an old classic car that, once restored, can be better than ever.”

Last November Dolly gave a health update after missing the Hall of Fame ceremony for her theme park, Dollywood.

“Well, hello, it’s Dolly,” she began. “I wish I could be with you today, but you probably heard I have been dealing with some health challenges this fall, and my doctors told me to take it easy for a little while.”

She said she was “truly sorry” she could not attend, but she still wanted to thank everyone for the “incredible honour,” including Jack and Peter Herschend, her partners who co‑own Dollywood.

Earlier last year Dolly postponed her first Las Vegas residency in 32 years because of “health challenges.”

“As many of you know, I have been dealing with health challenges, and my doctors say I need a few procedures. I joked that it must be time for my 100,000‑mile check‑up, although it is not a usual visit to my plastic surgeon!” she wrote on Instagram.

She also told fans that “lately everybody thinks I am sicker than I am” in another health update shared in October.

“I have problems, as I mentioned,” Dolly said. “When my husband Carl was very sick for a long time, and after he passed, I did not take care of myself, so I ignored many things I should have cared for. When I finally went to the doctor, he said, ‘We need to take care of this and that.’”

She said it is “nothing major,” but she had to “cancel some things so I could be closer to home” and to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, “where I have a few treatments here and there, but I want you to know I am not dying.”

This came after her sister Freida Parton posted an update after asking fans to pray for Dolly’s recovery after the Las Vegas residency was postponed because of health issues.

“I want to clear something up,” Freida, 69, wrote on Facebook. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when I asked for prayers for Dolly.”

Freida said Dolly has “been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I strongly believe in the power of prayer.”

“It was just a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister. Thank you all for lifting her up. Your love truly makes a difference,” she added.

Dolly addressed the rumours and told fans, “lately everybody thinks I am sicker than I am.”

She also joked about an AI photo online that showed her on a “deathbed” with Reba McEntire beside her.

“Did you see that AI picture of Reba and me? Oh, lordy! They put Reba at my deathbed, and we both look like we need to be buried. I thought, ‘Oh my Lord.’ But if I were really dying, I don’t think Reba would be the one at my deathbed. She might visit me earlier,” she added.

With 55 Grammy nominations and 10 wins, Dolly is the third‑most‑nominated woman in Grammy history, behind only Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

The news of Dolly’s death shocked people around the world.

Country Music Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young said Dolly was inducted in 1999 and praised her legacy.

“Dolly Parton’s legacy is not fame, but humanity,” Young said, calling her a “champion of equality and literacy.”

“She was a picture of dignity, even when dressed outrageously. Anyone who wants to be more like Dolly is on the right track, but they will never reach the finish line. She rose from poverty to become Tennessee’s most important native. She shared her wealth for the good of all and put her soul into every note she sang,” Young added.

Country singer Kacey Musgraves posted, “The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden. So glad she’s with her Carl Dean. No one talk to me today.”

The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden.

— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) August 25, 2026

Dionne Warwick said her heart is heavy after hearing that Dolly has died.

“I will certainly miss her laughter, jokes and being. Rest well and in total peace my friend,” Warwick said in a statement Tuesday.

“One of one. We must make more,” actor Pedro Pascal wrote on Instagram.

Octavia Spencer called Dolly “a gift to the world.”

“Your voice, your philanthropic heart, and warmth made us feel seen and made the world a pretty decent place,” Spencer continued. “We miss you.”

Actor Jamie Lee Curtis posted on Instagram, “They say don’t meet your heroes. They were wrong about her. Her bravery to know she was more than they thought, to break away and try new work, led her to write I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU as her thank‑you and love, moving on. She is a great example for us all.”

Euphoria actor Colman Domingo posted on X, “Dolly taught us you can be anything and do anything, and to do it with kindness. What a light. We are grateful to have lived in a time of Dolly Parton. We will always love her.”

Dolly taught us that you can be anything and do anything and to do it with kindness. What a light. We are all grateful that we lived in a time of Dolly Parton. We will always love her. pic.twitter.com/kKOuTrcFo9

— Colman Domingo (@colmandomingo) August 25, 2026

Country singer Reba McEntire paid tribute on X, sharing photos and writing, “Well, I just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side. Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth. Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart.”

“There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang. Thank you, Lord, for Dolly. She’s gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her,” McEntire continued.

“I’ll never forget the first time I met you and I’ll never forget our last conversation. I hold it with love in my heart. I will always love you,” McEntire’s post concluded.

Well, I just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side.

Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth.

Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart.

There will never ever be another you.

We… pic.twitter.com/qpbvKUNbiM

— Reba McEntire (@reba) August 25, 2026

Paris Hilton said she was “heartbroken to hear about Queen Dolly Parton’s passing.”

“She was a true icon and such an inspiration to me. Her talent, heart and kindness touched so many lives, and she truly left this world better than she found it,” Hilton wrote, adding, “Sending all my love to her family, friends and everyone who loved her. Rest in peace, Dolly.”

Happy Days actor Henry Winkler said it was a “sad day for America.”

“Thank you Lord for giving Dolly to us. What a gift. What a loss,” Patricia Heaton wrote on X.

Country singer George Strait said, “You’ve had such a huge impact on so many people all over the world, @DollyParton. We will all miss you. May God bless the Parton family.”

Maren Morris shared a throwback video of herself and Dolly singing and captioned, “There will never be another. @dollyparton was who we could all agree on. She was and is such a light.”

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we say goodbye to a true country music icon, Opry member Dolly Parton,” the Grand Ole Opry venue in Nashville posted on X.

“There is no doubt Dolly’s mark on the world, and on us here at the Grand Ole Opry, will be deeply felt for generations to come. She taught us to always lead with kindness, generosity, and compassion. May her legacy live on through her songs, the lives she touched, and the countless artists she inspired. There will never, ever be another one like her.”

Parton became an Opry member in 1969.

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we say goodbye to a true country music icon, Opry member Dolly Parton.

There is no doubt Dolly’s mark on the world, and on us here at the Grand Ole Opry, will be deeply felt for generations to come. She taught us to always lead with… pic.twitter.com/t9yBCdMIsb

— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) August 25, 2026

Blake Shelton called Parton the “EXACT person that you think she is” in a post on X.

“I can say with absolute certainty that we are all feeling the same heart brokenness today. I only got to spend any real time with Dolly when Gwen and I worked with her on The Voice. I want everyone to know that she was the EXACT person that you think she is,” he wrote.

“It was like being with the funnest, most loving, most caring and closest member of your family. Truly a loss for the entire world. We love you Dolly,” Shelton added.

I can say with absolute certainty that we are all feeling the same heart brokenness today. I only got to spend any real time with Dolly when Gwen and I worked with her on The Voice. I want everyone to know that she was the EXACT person that you think she is. It was like… pic.twitter.com/9ycD4lSpO9

— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) August 25, 2026

“Like the rest of the world, I’m immediately heartbroken. I met Dolly on several occasions and she always made me feel like one of her own,” Kristin Chenoweth wrote on X.

“She even agreed to sing with me on one of my records. My ultimate inspiration. The world has lost one of the best but I know we will never forget her because she is impossible to forget. I love you Dolly and I will ALWAYS love you,” she added.

Like the rest of the world, I’m immediately heartbroken. I met Dolly on several occasions and she always made me feel like one of her own. She even agreed to sing with me on one of my records. My ultimate inspiration. The world has lost one of the best but I know we will never… pic.twitter.com/dqE7U4Kbjy

— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) August 25, 2026

Kelly Clarkson said Parton “had a way of making everyone feel special, and seen, and welcomed, and as if you were old friends.”

“I will miss her heart and her voice as I am sure millions will. What an incredible gift and talent she was and still is with an amazing catalogue of art she has left behind for all of us,” Clarkson wrote on X.

Noah Kahan posted, “Rest peacefully Dolly, thank you for the joy and the music and the example you set for us all.”

“Words fail me today, words to describe the spirit that was Dolly. I was blessed with knowing her, just a little. We all were,” Melissa Etheridge wrote.

“I will strive the rest of my days to be as joyful and loving as she was. Her talent and gifts she gave us will live on for generations. We are a better world because she walked among us. May she live in the stars of the night and in the light of our days,” Etheridge added.

Words fail me today, words to describe the spirit that was Dolly. I was blessed with knowing her, just a little. We all were. I will strive the rest of my days to be as joyful and loving as she was. Her talent and gifts she gave us will live on for generations. We are a better… pic.twitter.com/3DnZ1yPLbg

— Melissa Etheridge (@metheridge) August 25, 2026

— with files from The Associated Press

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