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Dolly Parton, Country Music Legend and Philanthropist, Dies at 80

By Larry Philpot on August 25, 2026

Dolly Rebecca Parton, the beloved country singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman, died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80 years old.

Her nephew Bryan Seaver shared the news in a video posted on her social media accounts. Seaver, who worked as her head of security for more than 20 years, said the family was announcing the peaceful passing of “my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean.” No cause of death was given. Parton had dealt with health issues in recent years that forced her to cancel some shows and appearances.

Early Life in the Mountains

Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin in Locust Ridge, near Pittman Center in Sevier County, Tennessee. She was the fourth of 12 children born to Robert Lee Parton and Avie Lee Owens Parton. The family was very poor. They lived without electricity or indoor plumbing for many years in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Music filled their home. Parton started writing songs as a little girl and began performing in public while still a teenager. She appeared on the Grand Ole Opry when she was just 13.

The day after she finished high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville to chase her music dreams. On her first day in the city, she met Carl Thomas Dean outside a laundromat. They married on May 30, 1966, and stayed together until Carl died on March 3, 2025, at age 82. The couple never had children of their own, but they helped raise some of Parton’s younger brothers and sisters and stayed close to their large extended family.

A Career Full of Hits

Parton’s big break came in 1967 when she joined country star Porter Wagoner’s television show. She recorded hit songs with him and later on her own. After leaving the show in 1974, she wrote the classic song “I Will Always Love You” as a goodbye to Wagoner.

She became famous for heartfelt songs about her own life and feelings. Hits included “Coat of Many Colors,” about a coat her mother made from scrap fabric, “Jolene,” “Joshua,” and “My Tennessee Mountain Home.” She also reached a wider audience with pop hits like “Here You Come Again” and “9 to 5.” The song “9 to 5” came from the popular 1980 movie of the same name, in which she starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

Other well-known recordings included the duet “Islands in the Stream” with Kenny Rogers. Over more than 60 years, Parton released nearly 50 studio albums and sold more than 100 million records around the world. She wrote thousands of songs.

Her awards included 10 Grammy Awards plus a Lifetime Achievement Award. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. She also received the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, and many other honors.

Business and Giving Back

Parton turned her success into a lasting business. In 1986 she opened Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, that brought jobs and visitors to the area where she grew up.

In 1988 she started the Dollywood Foundation. Through it, she created Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 to honor her father, who never learned to read or write. The program sends a free book every month to children from birth until they turn five. It has given away hundreds of millions of books in the United States and other countries and continues to help children learn to love reading.

Parton also supported education, disaster relief, and medical research. She often said she wanted to use her success to help others, especially kids.

A Lasting Legacy

Parton was known for her strong voice, flashy style, sharp humor, and kind heart. She stayed true to her mountain roots while becoming a star who appealed to people of all backgrounds. Fans loved her honesty and the way she made them feel welcome.

She is survived by several brothers and sisters, including Willadeene, Stella, Cassie, Freida, and Rachel Parton George, and Robert Lee Parton Jr., along with many nieces, nephews, and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her husband Carl Dean, her parents, and some of her siblings.

Dolly Parton’s songs, her theme park, her book program, and her example of hard work and generosity will continue to touch people for years to come.