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Dolly Parton\u00a0appeared in good spirits during her final public appearance \u2014 days before her\u00a0heartbreaking death\u00a0Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The \u201cJolene\u201d songstress appeared virtually to accept the ACM Poet\u2019s Award at the ACM Honors Aug. 19. It is unclear when she recorded the video message.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to send a very special thank you to the Academy of Country Music for honoring me with the Poet\u2019s Award,\u201d Parton said in a video message\u00a0shared via Instagram\u00a0last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I\u2019ve been able to do many things throughout my life, but at my core, songwriting has always been the most important part of who I am creatively.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cEvery dream I ever had, and all the dreams that I\u2019ve been able to see come true in life, well, they all started with a song. Songwriting has been my therapy,\u201d she continued. \u201cSongwriting has been my release, my joy. Songwriting has been a gift from God that has allowed me to touch people with words and music.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 10-time Grammy winner was seated in the video and looked chic in a long-sleeved cream top. Her famous blond hair was pinned up in a messy updo for the virtual appearance.<\/p>\n
As Page Six reported earlier Tuesday, Bryan Seaver \u2014 the country music star\u2019s nephew \u2014\u00a0confirmed in a post shared to Instagram\u00a0that Parton had died. She was 80.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my Aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean,\u201d Seaver began in the clip.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSister, aunt, Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,\u201d he continued. \u201cThis video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seaver, who has been head of Parton\u2019s security for more than two decades, said he has \u201cimagined the heaviness of this moment but hasn\u2019t truly felt it until now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Parton\u2019s publicity team also confirmed her death Tuesday in a statement to Page Six.<\/p>\n
\u201cA rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family,\u201d her reps said in part.<\/p>\n
\u201cDolly Parton\u2019s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cause of death has not been disclosed. However, TMZ reported Tuesday that Parton was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville last Friday with\u00a0kidney and autoimmune issues.<\/p>\n
Per the outlet, Parton died in the hospital.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Just days before the \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d singer\u2019s death, she\u00a0canceled an appearance at her iconic Dollywood theme park\u00a0in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, after a doctor ordered her not to travel due to ongoing \u201chealth issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m supposed to be there in person, like we planned,\u201d she said in a video\u00a0posted by Knoxville News Sentinel and the Tennessean.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I\u2019ve told you before, all my fans, that I have had a few little health issues. And sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parton\u2019s last public appearance was at the\u00a0opening of her Dolly\u2019s Tennessean Travel Stop ribbon-cutting ceremony\u00a0in June.<\/p>\n
Her death comes more than a year after her husband, Carl Dean,\u00a0died in March 2025\u00a0at 82.<\/p>\n
After Dean\u2019s death, the \u201c9 to 5\u201d songstress said she would briefly\u00a0take a step back from music\u00a0because she couldn\u2019t \u201cafford the luxury\u201d of \u201cgetting emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dolly Parton\u00a0appeared in good spirits during her final public appearance \u2014 days before her\u00a0heartbreaking death\u00a0Tuesday. The \u201cJolene\u201d songstress appeared virtually to accept the ACM Poet\u2019s Award … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17259"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17260,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17259\/revisions\/17260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}