Dolly Parton, music icon, dies at 80

NASHVILLE - Beloved country music icon Dolly Parton has died following a career spanning nearly 60 years. She was 80 years old. 

The singer, known for hits including "Jolene" and "9 to 5," died, her family confirmed Tuesday on X. Parton has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and leaves behind an indelible mark on the music industry.  

Dolly Parton dies at 80, family confirms

"I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven't truly felt it until now," Dolly's nephew Bryan Seaver said in the video post. "Dolly has lived the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens."

"I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s. Dolly opened doors, not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn't even know was possible," he added. "Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believed anything was possible."

He added, "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. 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."

Dolly Parton's recent health challenges

The backstory:

The news follows a series of health challenges for Parton.

In May, the singer revealed that she had canceled her previously postponed Las Vegas residency due to health challenges — but assured fans her ailments were treatable.

"The good news is I'm responding really well to meds and treatments and I'm improving every day," the 80-year-old country icon said in a short video posted to her official Instagram account. "Now the bad news is, it's going to take me a little while before I'm up to stage-performance level because some of the meds and treatments make me a lit bit swimmy headed, as my grandma used to say."

RELATED: Dolly Parton cancels Las Vegas residency due to health issues

She didn’t share too many details about her health but clarified that she’s always "had problems with my kidney stones," and that her immune system and digestive system "got all out of whack over the past couple three years and they’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those."

She also clarified that her doctors have assured her "that everything I have is treatable, so I'm going with that."

Last year, Parton's sister asked the world to pray for the country music legend as she battled "health challenges" that led to her postponing her Las Vegas residency last month.

"Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly," Freida posted on Facebook Tuesday. "Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been led to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me. She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!"

RELATED: Dolly Parton’s sister urges fans to pray amid singer’s health struggles

Dolly was also unable to attend the announcement of a new ride at her Tennessee theme park Dollywood last year due to health issues. "I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems, turned out it’d given me an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling right this minute, so you need a few days to get better,’" Parton said in a video announcement at the time.

"So, he suggested I not go to Dollywood today, but I’m there with you in spirit. I was looking so forward to it."

And in March of this year, Parton’s devoted husband of nearly 60 years, who avoided the spotlight and inspired her timeless hit "Jolene," Carl Dean, died.

Dolly Parton’s legacy

Big picture view:

Born on Jan. 19, 1946, Parton made her album debut in 1967 with "Hello, I’m Dolly," before her sales and chart peaked in the ‘70s and ‘80s. 

At age 12, she was already appearing on local television stations in Knoxville, Tennessee, and by the age of 13, she was recording on a small label and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry, according to IMDB.

After graduating from high school in 1964, Parton moved to Nashville to launch her country singing career. 

Her first solo No. 1 hit was "Joshua," released in 1971, which led to some of her most memorable and iconic songs such as "Jolene," "Love Is Like a Butterfly," and "I Will Always Love You," according to the Country Music Hall of Fame.  

She also starred in the movie version of "9 to 5," as well as hits like "Steel Magnolias" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."

Beyond the movie and television screen, Parton was the head of Dolly Parton Enterprises, a $100-million media empire. In 1986, she unveiled Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, just down the road from where she grew up.

Parton was also known for her philanthropy through institutions such as the Dollywood Foundation, her non-profit organization, and Parton’s Imagination Library, which has distributed more than 178 million free books to children across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. 

She also contributed $1 million to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. 

Parton won multiple accolades and was even honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. 

And, in 2023, she surprised fans with a rock album – just one year after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

In 2024, Parton also announced that she would be writing new songs to go along with some of her past hits and is co-writing a stage story based on her life that she hoped would land on Broadway in 2026. 

She was married to Carl Dean, whom she was with for nearly six decades. The couple married on May 30, 1966. Dean passed away in early March 2025 at the age of 82.

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