One of the great songwriters and performers in music history, Dolly Parton, has died according to her family. She was 80.
Known for her curvy physique, massive blonde wigs and skin-tight outfits that served her self-deprecating wit, she was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond — the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics.
Her family posted to social media Tuesday afternoon to announce her passing, with Bryan Seaver representing the family in a video statement.
"This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality," Seaver said, announcing that she had died. "As her head of security for more than 2 decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I've imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven't truly felt it until now. 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 Karl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens."
Parton, who was born in Tennessee in 1946, was also an actress, philanthropist, and plucked bejeweled banjos, guitar and dulcimers with her long fingernails during performances. She was also a generous philanthropist and successful businesswoman whose projects included a theme park in the Smoky Mountain foothills near her birthplace.
A prolific songwriter, Parton's debut album, "Hello, I'm Dolly," was released in 1967, kicking off a career spanning 60 years and 50 studio albums. Parton has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists ever. She has had 25 singles reach No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts, a record for a female artist.
She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and many more.
Her 1974 country hit, "I Will Always Love You," was recut for the 1992 film, The Bodyguard, by pop star Whitney Houston. It went number one for a record-breaking 14 weeks and and is the best-selling single by a female of all-time. Parton often joked that a massive property she bought in Nashville was "the house that Whitney built."
As an actress, she has starred in numerous films, including: 9 to 5 (1980) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), for each of which she earned Best Actress Golden Globe nominations, as well as Rhinestone (1984), Steel Magnolias (1989), Straight Talk (1992), and Joyful Noise (2012).
"Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent," Seaver continues in the family's statement. "By her example, we believed that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn't open. And the door she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family, whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever."
Her career was forever influenced by her upbringing as one of 12 children born into what she called a “dirt poor” Tennessee family. She started her education nonprofit, Imagination Library, to send free books to children in Tennessee because her father, who quit school to work on the farm, struggled to learn to read.
Parton's first musical performances were in church, where her grandfather was a preacher. By age 10, she was learning guitar and singing on local television shows. At 13, she appeared on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, where Johnny Cash introduced her as “a little girl here from up in East Tennessee.”
With a suitcase of songs, she followed her uncle, Bill Owens, also a songwriter, to Nashville after graduating high school in 1964. Fred Foster, who produced Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson and more, saw her potential and got her songs cut by other artists, as well as recording and releasing Parton singing her own material. By the mid-1970s, Parton was a Nashville queen.
Parton was married to her husband, Carl Dean, since 1966. He died in 2025. The two never had children, reportedly because she chose to prioritize her music career and later experienced health challenges.
A message from the family of Dolly Parton. pic.twitter.com/9DNRgRx0uH
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) August 25, 2026
United States of Dolly
Beyond her music, Parton’s most lasting legacy might be her generosity and broad appeal.
When a deadly wildfire swept through the Smokies in 2016, she held an all-star telethon and set up a foundation that sent monthly checks to residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed.
She opened up her Dollywood theme park in East Tennessee, a major economic driver in Appalachia that draws tourists from around the country, and established the Dollywood Foundation. She wrote books and memoirs, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and was given a lifetime achievement award by the Recording Academy. She was selected for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2025.
With 55 Grammy nominations and 10 wins, Parton is the third-most nominated woman in Grammy history, only behind Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.
Parton spanned social and political divides, through multiple generations of fans, urban and rural and in between. In tumultuous election years, it wasn't uncommon to see “Dolly for President” shirts. But she was strict in not voicing her own political beliefs, often turning aside questions about presidents, candidates, policies and other controversies.
“I don’t do politics," Parton told host Jad Abumrad on his hit podcast “Dolly Parton's America."
"I have too many fans on both sides of the fence. Of course, I have my opinion about everything, but I learned years ago to keep your mouth shut about things.”
When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation sent out a ballot in 2022 with her name on it, though she said she felt she hadn't earned it, the voters answered with a “Hello, Dolly." Parton showed up to the induction ceremony, performed and then put out a rock album.
