Nashville, TN – Dolly Parton, the rhinestone-clad songwriter, singer, and storyteller who turned a childhood of poverty in the Smoky Mountains into a career that touched nearly every corner of American life, has died at the age of 80. Her family confirmed her passing on Tuesday, August 25th, 2026, in Nashville, sharing the news in a video message posted to her official social media accounts.
For more than six decades, Parton was more than a country music star — she was a songwriter, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist, and, to millions who never met her, something close to family. Hits like “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You” carried her voice into households across generations, while ventures like Dollywood and her Imagination Library turned her hometown roots into a legacy of generosity that reached far beyond the stage.
Parton had spoken openly in recent months about health struggles that followed the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, in March 2025. Grief, she admitted, had taken a toll. “I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them,” she told fans earlier this year while opening the 2026 season at Dollywood, acknowledging she had been worn down while mourning Dean. Even so, she never let worry settle in for long, reassuring fans with her trademark wit: “I ain’t dead yet!”
Her devotion to her late husband remained a constant thread through her final months. Reflecting on their decades together, Parton once wrote simply, “words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years.”
In the family’s announcement, Parton’s nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, spoke of the honor and heartbreak of delivering her final message to the world, describing her as someone who had lived in the light and was now reunited with those she had loved and lost.
Dolly Parton’s influence stretched well beyond music charts and box office numbers. She was a rare figure who managed to be adored across political, cultural, and generational lines — a songwriter capable of making an entire arena cry, and a businesswoman sharp enough to build an empire on her own terms, all while remaining, by every account, one of the kindest people in the industry.
She is survived by a body of work that shaped American music, a charitable legacy that continues to put books in children’s hands worldwide, and countless fans who, for one more day, get to say thank you for the music.
Post your favorite memories or messages on social media by tagging her accounts or leaving a tribute on Dolly Parton’s Official Website.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, her signature program that provides free books to children.
