Dolly Parton, the American country music legend whose songs and larger-than-life presence shaped popular culture for more than half a century, has died at the age of 80 in Nashville, her family announced in a statement on social media. Her nephew and security chief, Bryan Seaver, confirmed the death in a video posted to Parton’s official channels on Tuesday.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” Seaver said, calling it an honour “mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.” Her publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said Parton had died at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones after a brief battle with cancer. She had been admitted to a treatment facility days earlier and had recently acknowledged she was dealing with health issues.
Over a career spanning decades, Parton wrote hundreds of songs, among them the global hits “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” a phrase Seaver said she wanted used as her final farewell. She was the third most nominated woman in Grammy history, behind only Beyonce and Taylor Swift, with 55 nominations and 10 wins.
Her influence reached well beyond music. Parton opened the Dollywood theme park in East Tennessee, established the Dollywood Foundation and its children’s literacy programme, and wrote several books and memoirs, building a philanthropic legacy that ran alongside her recording career.
Tributes poured in from across the entertainment world. Beyonce, who worked with Parton on the Grammy-winning album “Cowboy Carter,” called her the barometer and the North Star. Taylor Swift said a world without Parton did not feel possible, real, or right, praising the eternally generous way she had lived. Paul McCartney recalled meeting her early in her career at the Grand Ole Opry, while US President Donald Trump described her passing as a true loss for millions of people and ordered American flags lowered for a week in her honour.
