Dolly Parton dead at 80 after career that changed music industry
Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at 80.
Her family announced the devastating news in a video posted to social media Tuesday.
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“I am representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my Aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean,” a statement read by Dolly’s nephew Bryan Seaver said.
It remains unclear exactly what the country crooner died from, but she was reportedly admitted to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center Friday for autoimmune and kidney problems, TMZ reported.
She also told PEOPLE on Friday she was “dealing with some health issues,” something she had repeated in various interviews over the last year after she’d cancelled several appearances and performances.
Those health issues appeared to arise following the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, in March 2025.
“The sadness lays with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” Seaver’s statement continued.
“Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life,” he added. “By her example we believed that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history.”
“My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television, your record player, you CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family, whether you liked it or not.”
Known as the queen of country music, Dolly was famous for a huge voice which belted out hits like “Jolene,” “Joshua,” and “9 to 5.”
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She was also famous for her over-the-top looks, equally huge personality, charitable causes, and Dollywood theme park in her home state of Tennessee.
Dolly was born in 1946 into a rural household with 11 siblings and no running water, saying over the years that she grew up “dirt poor” and had to scrape by with her family.
But despite those struggles Dolly’s mother encouraged her apparent musical talents — by 5 she’d written her first song, by 10 she was singing on local radio shows and at just 13 years old she made her first appearance on the legendary live Grand Ole Opry radio performance in Nashville.
That’s where she met the likes of Johnny Cash and Porter Wagoner, two stars who she would work with throughout her career as she shot to super stardom.
Her first hits came at 21 in 1967 with singles “Dumb Blonde” and “Something Fishy,” and by the early 70s she was topping the charts with songs like “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Despite those successes Dolly drove herself hard — sometimes sleeping in cars and bathing in gas station sinks as she raced across the country from gig to gig for her growing fanbase.
“My bedroom was the backseat and [my Uncle Bill Owens’] was the front seat,” Dolly said during a 2018 appearance on “Shine On With Reese.” “I’d wash my hair in the filling station bathrooms and put makeup on in the side mirror of the car, and that was just how you did it.”
As her fame rose Dolly also turned to the screen, starring alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the 1980s comedy “9 to 5.”
She also starred alongside Burt Reynolds in 1982’s “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Steel Magnolias” in 1989.
Dolly’s worked garnered numerous awards over the years — including 11 Grammys, a Primetime Emmy, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a 2006 Kennedy Center honor and a National Medal of the Arts in 2004.
Read more Country music icon Dolly Parton dead at 80
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
