Dolly Parton, one of the most successful and recognisable figures in country music history, has died aged 80.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The singer-songwriter’s death was announced on Tuesday, August 25, by her nephew Brian Seaver, who had also served as her head of security for more than two decades.
In a video announcing her death on behalf of the Parton and Owens family, Seaver explained that Parton herself had asked him years earlier to deliver the news when the time eventually came.
He said: “My name is Brin Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next.”
Addressing the responsibility Parton had given him, he continued: “This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it til now.”
The full video message can be seen below:
Parton’s death comes after she had spoken publicly about health problems and treatment in recent months.
Just days before her death, on August 21, she acknowledged that she had been dealing with health issues which she said she had not paid sufficient attention to while caring for her husband, Carl Dean.
Dean, Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, died in March 2025.
Parton said, via PEOPLE: “As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.”
Despite those problems, Parton made clear at the time that she remained determined to work.
She added: “But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’! You know me — as I’ve often said — I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”
Her health had also prevented her from making a planned appearance at Dollywood earlier in August, with doctors advising her not to travel to the Tennessee attraction.
Parton told fans at the time that she was dealing with a “few little health issues”, although she stressed that “all is going well on the medical end of thing”.
In May, she had also given supporters an update on her treatment and said she was making progress.
“I’m improving every day,” Parton said. “Bad news is it’s gonna take me a little while before I’m up to stage performance level because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy-headed, as my grandma used to say.
“Of course I can’t be dizzy, carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five-inch heels. And you know that I’m gonna be wearing them!
“I’m doing really well, and they assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I’m going with that, and I just want you to know I thank you for standing by me and that I will always love you.”
Parton’s death brings to an end a career that stretched across more than six decades and made her one of country music’s defining artists.
Born in Pittman Center, Tennessee, in 1946, Parton grew up as one of 12 children in a poor family.
Speaking about her childhood in 1977, she said: “We never actually starved, but sometimes we never had quite enough to eat.”
Her relationship with music began early. Parton started playing her first guitar and singing at her grandfather’s church when she was six before beginning to write songs the following year.
Her upbringing would remain an important part of her identity even as her career took her far beyond Tennessee.
Parton once summed up the impact of songwriting on her life by saying: “My songs got me out of the mountains and took me everywhere I’ve wanted to go.”
After graduating from high school, she moved to Nashville in 1964, performing in clubs and writing material for other artists as she attempted to establish herself in the industry.
A major breakthrough followed when Porter Wagoner brought her onto The Porter Wagoner Show. Their professional partnership helped Parton secure a record deal, with some of her early successes coming through duets with Wagoner.
Her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, was released in 1967.
From there, Parton developed a catalogue containing some of the most enduring songs in country and popular music, including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.”
She would ultimately sell more than 160 million albums worldwide, according to one of the supplied sources, which describes her as the best-selling female country music artist of all time.
Her chart achievements included 25 number-one songs on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and 48 top-10 entries on the US Top Country Albums chart. Her music charted on the US Hot Country Songs chart across seven decades.
Parton also accumulated major honours throughout her career, including 11 Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Her other accolades included the National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors.
Her career extended beyond music into acting and television, while her work as a philanthropist became another significant part of her public life.
For all the awards and commercial success, however, Parton remained closely associated with the country roots that shaped her songwriting.
“I’ll always be a country musician because I’m a country girl,” she said in 1975. “My style is my soul and my feelings. I’ll tell the world in my songs what I wouldn’t have told my mother.”
Her distinctive appearance also became inseparable from her public image, something Parton frequently approached with humour.
Looking back on her childhood in a 2003 interview, she said: “I had freckles and a gap in my teeth. Everything was homemade or hand-me-downs. . . . I always wanted to be prettier. I got to fixin’ myself up. I wanted my clothes tight, my makeup bright, my nails long, my lips red. I got into it.”
Parton’s final years were marked by the loss of Dean and the health problems she subsequently discussed publicly, but she continued to speak about her desire to work and pursue new projects.
From a childhood in Tennessee to more than six decades at the forefront of country music, Parton built a career that encompassed songwriting, performing, acting and philanthropy, while songs including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You” became some of her best-known work.
Our thoughts go out to the family, friends, and fans to one of music and entertainment’s greatest stars.
Thank you, Dolly.
Featured image credit: Instagram/DollyParton
