Dolly Parton, one of the most beloved and enduring figures in American music, died peacefully on Tuesday, August 25 in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80 years old. No cause of death was given. Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the news in a video posted to her official Instagram on behalf of the Parton family.
Parton is preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in March 2025, her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens, who died in 2023, and her father Robert Lee Parton Sr., who died in 2000.
“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family,” the family’s official obituary reads. “With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.”
At Dolly’s request, a small private service will be held for immediate family. The family asks that instead of flowers, donations be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Fans are encouraged to pay tribute on social media by tagging @DollyParton or leaving a message on her website.
Born January 19, 1946, in Sevierville, Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children in a poverty-stricken farming family, Parton began performing as a child in the Pentecostal Church of God and first sang on local radio. She issued her first single, “Puppy Love,” at age 13 and performed on the Grand Ole Opry as a teenager. Immediately upon graduating high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting, writing material for artists including Skeeter Davis and Kitty Wells before finding her own voice as a performer.
Her partnership with vocalist Porter Wagoner beginning in 1967 launched her into national prominence, but it was her solo career that cemented her as one of the defining voices in American music. She logged 25 No. 1 country singles, many of them self-penned, making her one of the first major female stars of the genre to write much of her own hit material.
Her best-known song, “I Will Always Love You,” written as a farewell to Wagoner in 1974, reached No. 1 on the country charts twice in her own versions. In 1992, Whitney Houston’s recording of the song spent a record-breaking 14 weeks at No. 1 on the pop charts, with the soundtrack album selling 45 million copies worldwide. The moment secured Parton’s status not just as a country icon but as one of the most important songwriters of the 20th century.
Her crossover into pop began in the late 1970s, with “Here You Come Again” reaching No. 3 on the pop chart in 1977 and earning her the first of seven Grammys. “9 to 5,” the title track from her 1980 film debut opposite Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, became one of her signature hits, winning Grammys for best country song and best female country vocal and earning her an Oscar nomination for best original song. “Islands in the Stream,” her 1982 collaboration with Kenny Rogers, became another pop and country chart-topper.
Beyond music, Parton built parallel careers in film, television and philanthropy. Her acting credits include “9 to 5,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Steel Magnolias.” As a producer, she helped launch the hit television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and the “Father of the Bride” comedy films. She toplined three variety shows during her career and won a 2021 Emmy for outstanding television movie for “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square.”
Her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near her childhood home, became a beloved institution, and her Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library program, which donates books to children, has had a profound impact on childhood literacy worldwide.
A 1999 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, she was also a National Medal of Arts honoree, a Kennedy Center Honors recipient and, in 2022, an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor she initially declined before relenting under enthusiastic public pressure. She subsequently released what became her final album, “Rockstar,” in 2023.
In the fall of 2025, Parton announced she would need medical procedures and cancelled a planned Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace, but she remained active creatively, participating in the development of “Dolly: An Original Musical,” which had its premiere engagement in Nashville this past July and August, and attending the world premiere of “Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony” in March.
Last week, she was recognized with the ACM Poet’s Award at the Academy of Country Music Honors in Nashville. The Americana Music Association had also announced it would honor her with its Lifetime Achievement Award next month at the 2026 Americana Honors and Awards.
Dolly Parton is survived by her family, her fans, and a body of work that will endure for generations.