Dolly Parton, the country music legend whose songs, humor and generosity made her an American institution, has died at the age of 80.

Her family announced the heartbreaking news Tuesday afternoon through a video posted to Parton’s official social media accounts.

Brian Seaver, Parton’s nephew and longtime head of security, delivered the announcement on behalf of the Parton and Owens families.

Seaver said Parton had asked him years ago to make the announcement when the day came. Inside the enormous family she loved, the global superstar was still “Sister,” “Sis,” “Granny” and “Gigi.”

Here is the family’s full announcement:

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Seaver said his aunt “lived in the light” and expressed the family’s belief that she is now in the arms of Jesus, reunited with her husband Carl Dean, her parents and other loved ones who went before her.

No cause of death was immediately announced.

Parton had spoken publicly about health problems during the past year. She canceled her Las Vegas residency in May and said doctors were treating kidney stones along with immune-system and digestive problems.

Just days before her death, she told fans that she was still healing and still working. The sudden timing makes this loss even harder to absorb.

Fox News confirmed the news minutes after the family’s announcement:

Born January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin near Sevierville, Tennessee, Dolly Rebecca Parton was the fourth of 12 children.

She began singing in church, appeared on local radio and television as a child, and performed at the Grand Ole Opry before she was old enough to drive.

The day after graduating from high school in 1964, she left East Tennessee for Nashville. Within a few years, the young songwriter with the unmistakable voice had become a regular alongside Porter Wagoner—and then a star entirely on her own terms.

“Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “Here You Come Again,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You” became part of the American songbook.

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According to NBC News, Parton sold more than 100 million records during a career spanning more than six decades and won 11 Grammy Awards.

Her talent traveled far beyond country radio. She earned acclaim in films including “9 to 5,” “Steel Magnolias” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” while building Dollywood into an entertainment landmark in the mountains that raised her.

She also kept control of her songwriting catalog in an industry that routinely stripped artists of their most valuable work. That decision turned Parton into a formidable businesswoman without separating her from the songs that made her famous.

Her rise began with hard years as a Nashville songwriter and a television partnership with Porter Wagoner. When she stepped out alone, she did it with songs rooted in poverty, faith, family, heartbreak and the fierce independence that defined her life.

The result was a career that crossed generations. Country fans claimed her first, Hollywood embraced her next, and millions of children came to know her as the “Book Lady” who sent stories directly to their homes.

NBC News joined the breaking coverage Tuesday afternoon:

Parton’s greatest legacy may reach beyond the stage.

She created the Imagination Library in honor of her father, who could not read or write. The program has mailed more than 300 million free books to children around the world.

She also gave $1 million to Vanderbilt University research that helped accelerate development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, and she repeatedly opened her heart and her checkbook when families in East Tennessee were struck by disaster.

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Through fame, business success and all the rhinestones, Dolly never seemed embarrassed by where she came from. She carried the Smoky Mountains with her.

Her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died in March 2025. They had met outside a Nashville laundromat on the first day she arrived in the city.

Now the voice that promised “I Will Always Love You” has fallen silent.

But Dolly Parton leaves behind something very few entertainers ever create: songs that feel like family, kindness that changed millions of young lives, and a light the world will not soon forget.

Rest in peace, Dolly.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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