Dolly Parton, the beloved country music icon whose career stretched from childhood performances in rural Tennessee to international stardom in music, film, television and business, has died at the age of 80.

Parton died peacefully on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee, following a brief battle with cancer. Her death was announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, in a video shared on Parton’s social media. Her family said she was surrounded by loved ones at the time of her death.

A statement from her family described Parton as a global icon and humanitarian whose seven-decade career touched generations through her songwriting, performances, humor, warmth and philanthropy. The family said a private service will be held for immediate family and asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

From a Tennessee childhood to country music stardom

Born Dolly Rebecca Parton on January 19, 1946, in Sevierville, Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children born to Avie Lee Caroline and Robert Lee Parton Sr.

Music became part of her life early. As a child, she performed publicly before securing her first professional television appearance at just 13 years old on The Cas Walker Show.

Her first major successes came not as a performer but as a songwriter. Early songs written by Parton were recorded by artists including Kitty Wells, Bill Phillips and Hank Williams Jr., helping establish her reputation within Nashville’s music community.

The turning point came in 1967, when country music star and television host Porter Wagoner invited Parton to join his program as its featured female vocalist. Her partnership with Wagoner became the springboard for a national career.

The two recorded a series of successful duets, including “The Last Thing on My Mind,” “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me” and “Just Someone I Used to Know.” When Parton left the partnership in 1974, she wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to Wagoner.

The song would ultimately become one of the defining compositions of her career.

A crossover star in music, television and film

After leaving Wagoner, Parton established herself as a solo artist and increasingly crossed from country music into mainstream entertainment.

In 1978, she won the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Here You Come Again. Around the same period, she appeared in several television specials, including CBS’ Fifty Years of Country Music in 1978 and NBC’s The Seventies: An Explosion of Country Music in 1979. She also earned an Emmy nomination for her guest appearance on a Cher special.

Parton’s move into acting came in 1980 with 9 to 5, in which she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The film became a major success, while Parton’s title song earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and later won two Grammy Awards.

Two years later, she appeared opposite Burt Reynolds in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The film featured a new recording of “I Will Always Love You,” a song that would gain an entirely new level of recognition a decade later.

In 1992, Whitney Houston recorded “I Will Always Love You” for The Bodyguard. Houston’s version introduced Parton’s composition to another generation and turned the song into one of the most recognizable ballads in popular music.

Parton’s film career also included Steel Magnolias in 1989, further establishing her as an entertainer whose appeal extended well beyond country music.

Dollywood became part of her legacy

Parton’s ambitions extended far beyond performing.

In 1986, she officially opened Dollywood in Tennessee, transforming the former Silver Dollar City into a theme park built around her East Tennessee roots and Appalachian heritage. The project also became an important source of employment in her home region.

Her career as a producer expanded her influence into film and television as well. Parton co-owned Sandollar Productions with her former manager Sandy Gallin. The company was involved in projects including the Oscar-winning documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, the films Father of the Bride and Straight Talk, and the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Parton’s business career therefore became an extension of the same philosophy that had shaped her music: building opportunities while maintaining a strong connection to where she came from.

The humanitarian work that became one of her greatest legacies

For many admirers, Parton’s most enduring achievement may ultimately be her philanthropy.

Through the Dollywood Foundation, which she established in 1988, Parton invested heavily in education and literacy. Its best-known initiative, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, began in 1995 as a program intended to encourage children to read in her home region of East Tennessee.

The initiative eventually grew far beyond Tennessee. By 2025, it had gifted more than 270 million books to children around the world, while the program was distributing more than 3 million books each month across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.

Parton’s commitment to literacy was deeply personal. Her father was unable to read or write, and she viewed the Imagination Library as a way of helping children gain access to books regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.

Her philanthropy also extended to medical research and disaster relief. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Parton donated $1 million to research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, funding that supported work connected to the development of the Moderna vaccine.

She also supported organizations including the American Red Cross and charities working on HIV/AIDS-related causes.

Her charitable work repeatedly returned to the communities and people closest to her roots. In recognition of decades of giving, Parton received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022.

A career measured in generations

Parton’s influence was recognized across the entertainment industry. She received 11 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Yet her significance was never limited to awards or record sales. Parton built a rare career in which songwriting, performing, acting, entrepreneurship and philanthropy continually overlapped.

Her songs became standards. Her films became cultural touchstones. Dollywood turned her personal history into a destination for millions of visitors. And the Imagination Library transformed her belief in the power of reading into a global literacy initiative.

Parton’s death also comes after the loss of her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025. The couple had been married for nearly six decades.

At 80, Dolly Parton leaves behind much more than a catalog of beloved songs. Her seven-decade career created an unusually broad legacy—one built through entertainment, business and, perhaps most significantly, an enduring commitment to helping other people.

From “Jolene” and “9 to 5” to “I Will Always Love You,” her music will continue to be heard. Through the millions of books distributed by the Imagination Library and the communities touched by her charitable work, her influence will continue far beyond the stage.

Source: https://www.tvinsider.com/