Last Updated on August 25, 2026 8:07 pm
Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. The announcement was made by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, on Parton's official page.
Statement from Dolly's official Facebook page.
Parton's official page confirmed she died peacefully Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Carl Thomas Dean (1942–2025); her mother, Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923–2003); and her father, Robert Lee Parton Sr. (1921–2000).
“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see,” the family said in a statement, adding that Parton's legacy is “one of love, compassion, and resilience.”
At Parton's request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Fans and friends are encouraged to pay tribute on social media by tagging @DollyParton or leaving a message at dollyparton.com. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com.
Parton was born in 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee, one of 12 children in a family she has described as poor but close-knit. She began performing as a child and moved to Nashville the day after her high school graduation in 1964. Her big break came as a duet partner on “The Porter Wagoner Show,” and she wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to Wagoner when she left the show in 1974 — a song that became a global phenomenon nearly two decades later via Whitney Houston's cover.
Over a seven-decade career, Parton became the best-selling female country artist of all time, with more than 160 million albums sold worldwide. She won 11 Grammy Awards, an Emmy, and was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame (1999) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2022). Beyond music, she starred in films including “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias,” founded the Dollywood theme park, and built the Imagination Library, a childhood literacy program that mails free books to children worldwide.
Parton had spoken publicly about health struggles following the March 2025 death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, postponing a planned Las Vegas residency last fall and later canceling it altogether. As recently as August 21 — four days before her death — she told People she was “still healin'” but “still workin',” saying, “I ain't got time to get old!”
Parton's team confirmed in a statement to People that her death followed a “brief battle with cancer,” though the specific type was not disclosed. She was admitted to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville on August 21 and died there four days later. “Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement read. TMZ had earlier reported Parton was also dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues in the lead-up to her death.
Seaver, who has served as Parton's head of security for more than two decades, announced her death in an Instagram video, introducing himself as “son of Cassie Parton” and representing the Parton and Owens family. “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” he said in the video, adding that Parton was “surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others.”
Tributes Pour In
President Trump announced he is ordering American flags lowered nationwide for a one-week period in her honor, calling her “one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER.”
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein also paid tribute, saying “Dolly Parton was so special, so universally loved,” and pointing to her impact far beyond music — from her Imagination Library literacy program to funding vaccine research.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where Parton was inducted as a member, called her legacy “not celebrity, but humanity,” with CEO Kyle Young noting she “came from poverty to become the most important native of Tennessee.”
Closer to home, MerleFest in Wilkesboro also paid tribute, recalling Parton's past appearances at the festival: “Thank you for the songs, Dolly. Thank you for the stories.” The festival shared photos from her visits, including one from a MerleFest press conference.
Parton's MerleFest connection dates back to at least April 28, 2001, when she took the Wilkesboro stage calling out, “Well, Hello, Merlefest!” before launching into a set that mixed bluegrass staples with her own catalog. She told the crowd it was her first time at the festival, spoke warmly of spending time backstage with festival founder Doc Watson, and performed a song she'd written in tribute to bluegrass legend Bill Monroe. The show closed with Watson himself joining her onstage for a few numbers, including a bluegrass rendition of “I Will Always Love You,” before Parton left the stage to a lengthy standing ovation.
The footage above captures a practice session ahead of that 2001 MerleFest performance — the first time Watson and Parton had ever met or worked together — as the two run through “The Last Thing on My Mind” backstage.
