Dolly Parton, one of the greatest singer-songwriters in country music, has died aged 80, according to an announcement by her nephew Brian Seaver on Instagram. “I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” Seaver said.
Parton’s songwriting was characterized by vivid storytelling, emotional acuity, and melodic strength. She wrote two of the 20th century’s greatest songs—Jolene and I Will Always Love You—in a single day. From a catalog of hundreds of songs, she scored a record 25 US country No. 1 singles and 47 albums in the country Top 10. She crossed over into the pop charts with 9 to 5, which reached No. 1 in 1980, and balanced her music career with acting, earning two Golden Globe nominations.
Born in poverty in a one-room cabin in Tennessee as the fourth of 12 children, Parton rose to stardom through determination and talent. She began singing in church, appeared on local television at age 10, and cut her first record at 13. After high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville and initially worked as a songwriter before being signed as an artist. A duet partnership with Porter Wagoner beginning in 1967 helped her career ascend, with her first country No. 1 coming in 1971.
Jolene, released in 1973, became her first UK success, reaching No. 7. I Will Always Love You, written as a farewell to Wagoner, was a country No. 1 in 1974 and again in 1982. When Whitney Houston revived the song for The Bodyguard soundtrack in 1992, it became the bestselling single of all time by a woman, with an estimated 20 million sales.
Beyond music, Parton was an astute businesswoman. She founded the production company Sandollar and took a stake in Silver Dollar City, renaming it Dollywood in 1986. She also established the Dollywood Foundation in 1988, which initially awarded college scholarships and helped students complete high school in Sevier County, Tennessee.
In 1995, Parton began her Imagination Library, sending age-appropriate books to children in her county monthly until age five. The program expanded nationwide in 2000 and internationally in 2006, distributing nearly 25 million books annually across the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and Ireland. According to the Guardian, the library has donated more than 150 million books to children.
Parton’s philanthropy extended across multiple causes. In 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for COVID-19 research, which formed the basis for the Moderna vaccine. She also contributed $500,000 to a Sevier County hospital in 2006, coordinated relief efforts for those affected by the 2016 Smoky Mountain wildfires, and supported Black Lives Matter and transgender rights. In May 2026, Parton cancelled her Las Vegas residency over health issues.
Key facts
- Dolly Parton died at age 80; her death was announced by nephew Brian Seaver on Instagram
- She scored a record 25 US country No. 1 singles and 47 albums in the country Top 10
- Parton wrote ‘Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You’ in a single day
- Her Imagination Library has distributed nearly 25 million books annually across six countries
- She donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020 for COVID-19 research that helped form the basis for the Moderna vaccine
- I Will Always Love You is the bestselling single of all time by a woman, with an estimated 20 million sales