Dolly Parton, country music icon, dead at 80

Country music icon Dolly Parton has died. She was 80.

Parton’s nephew and her longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, announced the news of her passing in an Instagram video Tuesday.

“I am representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my Aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean,” Seaver began. “Sister, Sis and Aunt Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next.”

“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, the son of Parton’s sister Cassie, said. “It is an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.”

In Seaver’s video, he recognized that Parton “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life, and across every continent.”

“By her example, we believed that anything was possible,” he went on. “She never saw a door she couldn’t open and the doors she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you.”

Seaver also said that the country music icon called him before her death and “said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.”

The video ended with a black-and-white photo of Parton with the message “I will always love you” and her signature.

Parton’s publicity team also confirmed her passing on Tuesday.

Her reps said in a statement, “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.”

“Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience,” the statement continued. “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. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”

Parton shared her final health update on Friday, just days after canceling her appearance at her Dollywood event.

She told People she was “dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” referring to her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who passed away in March 2025 at age 82.

At the time of Dean’s death, Parton wrote in a statement, “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

Parton shared in July 2025 that she would be taking a brief step back from music because she couldn’t “afford the luxury” of “getting emotional.”

Months later, in September 2025, Parton abruptly pulled out of an appearance at Dollywood in Tennessee due to health issues.

The latest news on music icon Dolly Parton’s death at 80

“Turns out there was an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling around this minute, so you need a few days to get better,’” she explained at the time, reassuring fans that she was fine. “So he suggested I not go to Dollywood today.”

That same month, she postponed her Las Vegas residency to undergo a “few procedures.”

Parton later gave an update to her fans, joking that she wasn’t “dead yet.” However, she also skipped her 80th birthday celebration at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, in January.

In May, Parton officially canceled her Las Vegas residency, telling fans she was “responding really well to meds and treatments” and “improving” every day.

“I’m doing really well, and [doctors] assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I’m going with that,” she added. “I just want you to know I thank you for standing by me and that I will always love you.”

Parton was born on Jan. 19, 1946, to parents Avie Lee Caroline and Robert Lee Parton Sr. in Pittman Center, Tennessee. She had 11 siblings: Willadeene, David, Coy, Robert Jr., Stella, Cassie, Randy, Larry, Floyd and twins Frieda and Rachel.

The beginning of her life was far from glamorous as she grew up “dirt poor” with no running water.

However, she was passionate about music from a young age — crediting her mother for influencing her musical abilities — and wrote her first song, “Little Tiny Tassel Top,” at the age of 5.

She began making appearances on local radio shows when she was 10 and performed at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time when she was 13.

The iconic country music venue is where she met Johnny Cash, who introduced her on stage. He helped kickstart her career and they developed a legendary, lifelong friendship over time.

Still, the early days of her career were not easy.

Parton at one point recalled having to sleep in a car while she was traveling on the road for performances.

“My bedroom was the backseat and [my Uncle Bill Owens’] was the front seat,” the “I Will Always Love You” singer said in 2018. “I’d wash my hair in the filling station bathrooms and put makeup on in the side mirror of the car, and that was just how you did it.”

After writing and recording songs for several years, she found breakthrough success in 1967, around the age of 21, when her singles “Dumb Blonde” and “Something Fishy” reached the Billboard country charts.

Much of Parton’s early success came as she collaborated with fellow country entertainer Porter Wagoner, whose syndicated show she had a regular spot on for years, between 1967 and 1974.

That same year, she released her debut album, “Hello, I’m Dolly,” followed by several other chart-topping songs, including her 1970 track “Joshua” and her 1973 track “Jolene.”

Parton went on to release a plethora of other record-breaking hits over the years, including “Coat of Many Colors” (1971), “I Will Always Love You” (1974) and “Island In the Stream” with Kenny Rogers (1983).

The country star took home the award for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1975 Country Music Association Awards, and she won her first Grammy, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Here You Come Again,” in 1979.

Additionally, Parton received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June 1984, and was joined by actor Sylvester Stallone and her family for the big moment.`

“I’m just so proud to be here,” she said during her speech. “It’s really been a big dream of mine to have my name and the walkway of the Stars. I want to welcome all of you out here and tell you what it really means to us because we’re very proud.”

“And to have my star just a few feet away from [Sylvester Stallone] is one of the biggest dreams of my life. God bless you, thank you very much,” Parton continued.

Parton was later inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986 and opened her beloved Dollywood theme park that same year.

Parton was also famously known to many, especially the younger generation, as the godmother to Disney alum and pop star Miley Cyrus. The two have continuously supported each other in the music industry over the years.

In 2010, for example, Parton brought Cyrus on stage to perform “Jolene” with her during the “Dolly Celebrates 25 Years of Dollywood” Hallmark special. The duo also co-hosted NBC’s “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party” in 2023, where Parton gushed over the experience as the “thrill of [her] life.”

The “Hannah Montana” star referred to Parton as someone who had “always” been her “role model” in 2013. “She’s a legend and unlike anyone I’ve ever seen before,” she added, per People.

Cyrus also featured her godmother on her “Rainbowland” track from her 2017 “Younger Now” album while Parton recorded a duet of Cyrus’ song “Wrecking Ball” for her 2023 “Rockstar” album.

Parton has notably inspired numerous artists in the music industry, including Whitney Houston, who recorded a cover of “I Will Always Love You” for her 1992 film “The Bodyguard”; Kelly Clarkson, who sang “9 to 5” with Parton in 2022; and Beyoncé, who recorded a version of “Jolene” for her 2024 “Cowboy Carter” album — to name a few.

Parton previously talked about artists covering her songs and expressed her desire for Beyoncé to re-record Jolene during an interview with “The Daily Show” in 2022.

“I would just love to hear ‘Jolene’ done in just a big way, kind of like how Whitney [Houston] did my ‘I Will Always Love You,’” she said. “Someone that could take my little songs and make ’em like powerhouses. That would be a marvelous day in my life if she ever does ‘Jolene.’”

Additionally, Clarkson honored Parton during her 2025 Las Vegas residency, telling the crowd, “She’s just a beautiful human, she’s so sweet,” and recalling how the latter was “kind to her” during her early career.

Outside of music, Parton was also an accomplished actress, starring in 1980’s “9 to 5” (for which she also recorded her famous track of the same name) alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

In the Colin Higgins-directed film Parton, who portrays Doralee Rhodes, works alongside Fonda as Judy Bernly and Tomlin as Violet Newstead, to fight against their misogynistic boss and implement equal pay, flexible hours and on-site daycare.

“I still believe that women should get paid equal and should be treated with respect. I’m all about that,” she told ABC News in 2019. “I don’t get out and have to preach it or march in the streets; I write about it.”

“9 to 5” was Parton’s movie debut and Fonda, who also produced the film, once shared that her co-star had memorized the whole script during an interview with Today in 1980.

“Everybody’s part,” Fonda shared, as Parton chimed in that she “assumed” she had to.

Fonda shared that she pinged Parton for the role of Rhodes because the latter “seemed like a great choice” for the comedy.

The “Coming Home” star explained she was drawn to Parton because of “her music, particularly the songs she writes,” adding, “She’s a great songwriter and the songs have a depth and humanity that made me feel like she could act.”

Additionally, Parton starred in 1982’s “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” with Burt Reynolds and the all-female ensemble for 1989’s “Steel Magnolias,” featuring Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts.

Roberts — who paid tribute to Parton after she passed — opened up about the impact Parton had on her while working on the “Steel Magnolias” set, which was filmed in 100-degree weather in Louisiana.

“Everybody had ice on their wrists doing the whole thing,” the “Pretty Woman” star shared during a 1989 interview on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

“Everybody was like, it’s hot, could I get some water? And Dolly never said anything,” she explained. “And I finally, I just had to say, ‘Dolly, you’ve got a wig, and the wool, I mean, c’mon. It’s hot, sweat a little. Just say, I’m hot, you know? This is a drag.’”

Reflecting on what Parton said next, Roberts shared, “I remember we were sitting on the porch, and she said to me, ‘When I was a little girl, I wanted to be famous, and I wanted to be rich, and now I’m both of these things, I’m not going to complain about it.’”

 “And I thought, ‘Ok, I’m going to be quiet for the rest of the day.’ I’ve never forgotten it,” the actress continued. “And every time I go to complain, or just kind of moan, I always hear Dolly sitting on the porch and saying that, and it kinda keeps you quiet.”

In addition to her 11 total Grammys, Parton’s many other accolades include a Primetime Emmy for 2020’s “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square,” an honorary Academy Award in 2025, a National Medal of Arts in 2004 and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2006.

Parton will also be remembered for her wit, leaving behind a collection of iconic one-liners, including “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”

She recalled on the “WorkLife with Adam Grant” podcast in 2022 that she coined the famous line after being advised to change her hairstyle and the way she dressed.

Parton reflected on being told that “nobody was ever going to take [her] seriously,” explaining, “The way I look and the way I looked then was a country girl’s idea of glam, just like I wrote in my ‘Backwoods Barbie’ song.”

“People wanted me to change, they thought I looked cheap. But I patterned my look after the town tramp,” she said.

“Everybody said, ‘She’s trash.’ And in my little girl mind, I thought, ‘Well, that’s what I’m going to be when I grow up.’ It was really like a look I was after. I wasn’t a natural beauty. So, I just like to look the way I look. I’m so outgoing inside in my personality, that I need the way I look to match all of that.”

Outside of her career in Hollywood, Parton was passionate about her philanthropy work, most prominently with her Imagination Library, which has seen the donation of more than 318 million books to children across the world since its founding in 1995.

Though Parton never had any children with Dean, she leaves behind generations of fans and a massive catalog of memorable work to remember her by.