Dolly Parton has died aged 80, with her death confirmed on Tuesday in a video posted on Instagram by her nephew Bryan Seaver, who also served as her head of security.
Parton died on Tuesday morning after being admitted last Friday to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center with autoimmune and kidney problems, according to TMZ. Her loved ones began travelling to Nashville after her hospitalisation was made known, though some were unable to reach her while she was alive.
Announcement From Family
In the Instagram video, Seaver said the format of the announcement was something Parton had asked him to prepare years earlier. He described her as having “lived in the light” and said she was now “in the arms of Jesus”, alongside her late husband, Carl Dean, as well as her parents and others who had already died.
Family sources said a private service for close friends and relatives would be held in Nashville within the following days.
Six-Decade Career And Signature Hits
Parton, often billed as the “Queen of Country”, built an illustrious recording and performance career spanning six decades. She was especially associated with hits including Jolene and 9 to 5, both of which helped cement her place in mainstream American music.
Her songwriting also reached beyond country audiences. 9 to 5, written and recorded for the film of the same name in 1980, later won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The track also received multiple Grammy Awards, including Country Song of the Year and Female Country Vocal of the Year.
Picture courtesy of The Independant
Another of her best-known songs, I Will Always Love You, was written after Parton split with her former business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner as she moved towards a solo career. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in June 1974 and again in October 1982. It later became a global hit again when Whitney Houston recorded it for the 1992 film The Bodyguard, with the soundtrack album going on to be certified 18 times platinum.
Parton also became known for control of her music rights. She previously said that Elvis Presley was not able to record his own version of I Will Always Love You after a request that she sign over half of the publishing rights, which she refused.
Health Woes And Plans To Continue
Parton’s death followed months of health problems that led her to withdraw from a run of public appearances, prompting concern among fans. In an interview published shortly before her death, she said she still had “so many things” she wanted to achieve and intended to keep working “as long as” she could. She also said she had health issues that she did not focus on while she was looking after Carl.
In September 2025, Parton told fans she would postpone her Las Vegas residency originally scheduled for December until September 2026, saying her doctors had told her she needed several procedures. In October, her sister Freida asked the public to pray for Dolly after she had been unwell, before Parton
posted a video at an Opry-related ad shoot to reassure supporters.
Courtesy of Instagram Mick Jagger
Early Life, Marriage And Tributes
Born on 19 January 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children raised in the Great Smoky Mountains. She recalled sleeping on straw beds and living without running water, gas or electricity. Her first single, Puppy Love, was released when she was 13, after she had begun appearing on radio and local television.
Parton met Carl Dean at a Nashville laundromat in 1964 and they married in 1966. Dean died in March 2025 after nearly 60 years of marriage.
Tributes followed from fellow musicians and celebrities, including country artists and performers, as well as public figures who wrote about her music and her support for others.
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26 August 2026
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