Country music icon Dolly Parton dies in Nashville at age 80 after seven-decade career
The American singer and songwriter wrote roughly 3,000 songs, achieved 25 US country number-one singles, and earned multiple Grammy awards over a career spanning seven decades.
Passing and family announcement
Country music singer, songwriter, and businesswoman Dolly Parton died on 25 August 2026 at the age of 80 in Nashville, United States. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death on Tuesday in a video released on Instagram on behalf of the Parton and Owens families. Seaver, who served as her head of security for more than two decades, stated that Parton had personally requested years earlier that he make the announcement. Her husband, Carl Dean, died in March 2025. The family did not disclose the cause of death, noting that she died peacefully.
Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in heaven.
Early life and musical beginnings
Parton was born on 19 January 1946 in Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children raised in a one-bedroom cabin by her mother Avie Lee and father Robert Lee Parton, a tobacco farmer and builder. She began singing in church at age six and received her first real guitar at age eight from her uncle, Bill Owens, who accompanied her early performances. At age 10, she appeared on Knoxville radio and television on the Cas Walker Show. Three years later, she made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, introduced by Johnny Cash, and released her first single, "Puppy Love." Following high school graduation, she moved permanently to Nashville to pursue music full time.
- Born in Tennessee as the fourth of 12 children
- Makes first radio and television appearances on the Cas Walker Show at age 10
- Debuts at the Grand Ole Opry and releases first single Puppy Love at age 13
- Bill Phillips releases Put It Off Until Tomorrow, co-written with Dolly Parton
- Scores crossover pop number-one hit with 9 to 5
- Husband Carl Dean dies
- Passes away in Nashville, Tennessee at age 80
Songwriting catalogue and chart success
Over a seven-decade career, Parton estimated that she wrote approximately 3,000 songs, around 450 of which were recorded. Her songwriting catalogue produced widely popular songs for herself and other artists, including "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," "9 to 5," and "I Will Always Love You," the latter two written on the same day. Other performers who recorded her compositions included Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr., Kenny Rogers, Skeeter Davis, Emmylou Harris, and Whitney Houston. She accumulated 25 number-one country singles in the United States and placed 47 albums in the country Top 10, alongside more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Sources report that she won between 10 and 11 Grammy Awards during her career, alongside three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe nominations, and an honorary Academy Award.
- Number-one country singles
- 25
- Top-10 country albums
- 47
Philanthropic work and national tributes
Beyond recording and performing, Parton established the Dollywood entertainment complex and founded the Imagination Library, an initiative that distributed more than 150 million books to children. On 19 August 2026, the ACM Honors recognized her overall contribution to country music during its 19th ceremony, an event she missed in person due to health issues while delivering an acceptance message by video. Following the announcement of her death, US President Donald Trump ordered flags on public buildings across the United States to fly at half-staff for one week starting at 6:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday. Trump posted on Truth Social that her death was a true loss for millions of people.
Rest in peace, Dolly. The world loves you.
