Country music icon, actress and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80.
Parton’s death was announced on Tuesday by her nephew, Brian Seaver, who described the moment as one marked by both grief and pride.
“I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” Seaver said.
He added, “It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.”
Parton, who grew up in poverty in Tennessee, became one of the most successful singer-songwriters in country music, building a career that spanned more than six decades.
She was renowned for songs including Jolene, I Will Always Love You and 9 to 5. Her songwriting earned her widespread acclaim, while her distinctive voice and glamorous style made her one of the most recognisable figures in American entertainment.
Parton recorded dozens of albums and achieved 25 No. 1 singles on the US country chart, while 47 of her albums reached the country Top 10.
Her crossover success included 9 to 5, which topped the US pop chart in 1980. She also enjoyed a successful acting career, appearing in films such as 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias.
Her song I Will Always Love You, originally written as a farewell to fellow country performer Porter Wagoner, became an international phenomenon after Whitney Houston recorded it for The Bodyguard soundtrack in 1992.
Parton also made a lasting impact outside entertainment through her philanthropic work.
Her Imagination Library initiative, established in 1995, provided free books to young children and eventually expanded beyond the United States. The programme has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children.
Explaining the motivation behind the initiative, Parton once said, “My father could not read and write, and I saw how crippling that could be.”
The singer also supported medical research and other humanitarian causes. In 2020, she donated $1m to research into COVID-19 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, funding that contributed to the development of the Moderna vaccine.
Parton was also involved in business, most notably through Dollywood, the Tennessee theme park she helped develop after acquiring an interest in the property in the 1980s.
Born in 1946 as the fourth of 12 children, Parton began performing at an early age. She appeared on local television as a child and performed at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry at 13.
After completing high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville to pursue music and initially established herself as a songwriter before becoming a recording artist.
Parton’s final studio album, Rockstar, was released in 2023. She had continued working on music and other projects despite health challenges in her later years.
In May 2026, she cancelled a planned Las Vegas residency, citing health issues.
Her death brings to an end the life of an entertainer whose influence extended from country music to film, business, literacy and philanthropy.
