Dolly Parton, the country music superstar whose songs including Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You made her one of the most recognizable performers in Country music, has died at age 80.
The singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist died Tuesday after experiencing a series of health problems that had forced her to cancel performances and appearances.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death on Tuesday.
The news came just days after Dolly spoke publicly about her health, saying she remained determined to work despite undergoing treatment.
Dolly had said that she neglected some of her own health problems while caring for her husband Carl Dean before his death at age 82 in March 2025, after almost 60 years of marriage.
Dolly’s death came less than 18 months after Carl’s.
Dolly’s career stretched back more than six decades. After establishing herself in Nashville, she became one of country music’s defining singer-songwriters, with Jolene, Coat of Many Colors and I Will Always Love You among the songs most closely associated with her.
I Will Always Love You later became a worldwide hit for Whitney Houston, who died aged 48 in 2012, after Whitney recorded it for The Bodyguard.
Dolly crossed decisively into mainstream pop culture with 9 to 5, written for the 1980 workplace comedy of the same name in which she starred alongside Jane Fonda, 88, and Lily Tomlin, 86.
The song topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the country chart and earned Dolly two Grammy awards and an Academy Award nomination.
Her acting career also included The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias.
Beyond music and film, Dolly created Dollywood in Tennessee and founded the Imagination Library, her literacy program that has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children.
She continued developing new projects during her health difficulties.
Days before her death, Dolly discussed plans for the Life of Many Colors Museum in downtown Nashville and the SongTeller Hotel, as well as her forthcoming Dolly: A True Original Musical. She had also been considering virtual avatar performances as touring became increasingly difficult.
Across her career, Dolly won 11 Grammy awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone placed her at No. 27 on its list of the 200 greatest singers of all time.
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