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Legendary singer-songwriter and country music icon\u00a0has died at the age of 80.<\/p>\n
Her nephew, Brian Seaver, revealed the news in an Aug. 25 Instagram video.<\/p>\n
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\u201cMy name is Brin Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I\u2019m 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,\u201d he says in the video. \u201cThis 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\u2019t truly felt it til now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parton shared an update on her health on Friday, Aug. 21, acknowledging her recent decline after the March 2025 death of her husband, Carl Dean.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAs I\u2019ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn\u2019t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl. You know, this isn\u2019t the first time I\u2019ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early \u201980s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it\u2019s not like I haven\u2019t been through hard times with my health,\u201d Parton told PEOPLE.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cBut I think because we live in a 24\/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn\u2019t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I\u2019m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I\u2019m still healin\u2019, I\u2019m still workin\u2019! You know me \u2014 as I\u2019ve often said \u2014 I\u2019ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I\u2019m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a distinguished career that lasted decades, Parton is the best-selling female country music artist of all time, having sold more than 160 million albums worldwide. Her debut album was 1967\u2019s\u00a0Hello, I\u2019m Dolly, and she went on to release a slew of hits, including \u201cI Will Always Love You,\u201d \u201c9 to 5\u201d and \u201cJolene.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parton was born in Pittman Center, Tenn., in 1946.\u00a0and the family was poor. \u201cWe never actually starved, but sometimes we never had quite enough to eat,\u201dAt age 6, she began playing her first guitar and singing in her grandfather\u2019s church. She started writing songs a year later.<\/p>\n
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Though she was known for her glamor as an adult, she told PEOPLE in 2003 that growing up, \u201cI 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\u2019 myself up. I wanted my clothes tight, my makeup bright, my nails long, my lips red. I got into it.\u201d Over her career, she received considerable attention for her dramatic appearance, but she was always the first one to make a joke of it.<\/p>\n
After her high school graduation, she moved to Nashville in 1964. She played in clubs and wrote songs for other artists. She told PEOPLE in 2012, \u201cMy songs got me out of the mountains and took me everywhere I\u2019ve wanted to go.\u201d Her big break came when\u00a0hired her to be his sidekick on\u00a0The Porter Wagoner Show. He helped her land a record deal, but her early successes were all duets with her costar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll always be a country musician because I\u2019m a country girl,\u201d she told PEOPLE in 1975. \u201cMy style is my soul and my feelings. I\u2019ll tell the world in my songs what I wouldn\u2019t have told my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In 1971, she had her first country No. 1 with \u201cJoshua.\u201d \u201cCoat of Many Colors,\u201d released the same year, reached No. 4. Then in 1973, she released \u201cJolene,\u201d which was a country No. 1 and also charted on\u00a0Billboard\u2018s Hot 100.<\/p>\n
Parton stopped appearing on the TV show in 1974, and s a goodbye to her creative partner, Wagoner. \u201cWhen I got ready to go, it was not a good scene. So I went home and that song just came to me. The next morning I said, \u2018This is how I feel.\u2019 Tears were rolling down his face,\u201d she told PEOPLE in 2012.<\/p>\n
She told PEOPLE in 2015 about the first time she heard Houston\u2019s version of the song on the radio. \u201cIt was a worldwide thing. It was in a movie; it was No. 1. I thought, \u2018Wow. I wrote that little song,\u2019 \u201c she said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I felt my worth as a songwriter. I thought, \u2018This is my gift, and I\u2019m going to do the best I can with it.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
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Parton continued to enjoy success with hits like \u201cLight of a Clear Blue Morning,\u201d \u201cHere You Come Again,\u201d \u201cTwo Doors Down,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s All Wrong, But It\u2019s All Right\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019re the Only One.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parton\u2019s movie career began in 1980 when she starred in\u00a09 to 5 Her theme song for the movie became her first No. 1 single on the Hot 100. The costars became lifelong friends, and Parton later made a guest appearance on their Netflix TV series Grace and Frankie.<\/p>\n
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In 1982, she played a madam in\u00a0The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas alongside Burt Reynolds. \u201cI make a better whore than a secretary,\u201d she told PEOPLE in 1982. Parton also starred in 1984\u2019s, 1989\u2019s Steel Magnolias\u00a0and 2012\u2019s\u00a0Joyful Noise.<\/p>\n
In 1987, Parton released the critically acclaimed album\u00a0Trio\u00a0with\u00a0and Emmylou Harris. She told PEOPLE in 2003 that they \u201cwere like sisters,\u201d explaining, \u201cWe didn\u2019t always agree, but we had a great sound. Our first\u00a0Trio\u00a0album was one of the greatest pieces of music I\u2019ve ever been involved in.\u201d<\/p>\n
During her career, Parton won an Emmy, 11 Grammy awards, 10 Country Music Association awards, seven Academy of Country Music awards, three American Music awards and earned two Academy Award nominations, as well as an honorary Oscar. She was one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association\u2019s Entertainer of the Year award.<\/p>\n
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The music icon was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. During the memorable ceremony, she performed her hit song \u201cCoat of Many Colors.\u201d Parton\u2019s close friend and \u201cIslands in the Stream\u201d duet partner\u00a0presided over her induction.<\/p>\n
Parton\u2019s vibrant life was adapted intoitled Dolly: A True Original Musical\u00a0that premiered in Nashville in July 2025 with plans of transferring to Broadway in 2026.<\/p>\n
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She also wrote the score for the Broadway adaptation of\u00a09 to 5, for which she received a Tony nomination. In 2005 she received the National Medal of Arts, and in 2006 she received Kennedy Center Honors. In November 2022,<\/p>\n
Parton frequently collaborated with younger artists, . She was also the godmother of.\u00a0For the singer\u00a0\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life,\u201d maintaining her personal life was very important.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve told her some things that I think are valuable and that she uses, but I\u2019d rather live [as] an example,\u201d Parton\u00a0of her relationship with Cyrus. \u201c[I\u2019d rather] be an example rather than just try to tell somebody to do this, do that because I don\u2019t think that\u2019s right. Everybody\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n
She owned the\u00a0located in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. She was also heavily involved in philanthropy, most notably her Imagination Library, which mails one book a month to children from birth until kindergarten. She was inspired in part by her father, who never learned to read or write.<\/p>\n
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Parton married\u00a0. Dean opted to stay out of the spotlight but encouraged his wife. \u201cHe\u2019s always supporting me as long as I don\u2019t try to drag him in on it,\u201d Parton\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s always been my biggest fan behind the scenes, but he\u2019s at home. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re probably showing much of this on TV, and if they do, he might see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI always joke and laugh when people ask me what\u2019s the key to my long marriage and lasting love,\u201d Parton told\u00a0\u00a0in 2018. \u201cI always say \u2018Stay gone!\u2019 and there\u2019s a lot of truth to that. I travel a lot, but we really enjoy each other when we\u2019re together and the little things we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dean died on March 3, 2025. Parton announced his death on Instagram writing, \u201cCarl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can\u2019t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Days after his death, Parton paid tribute to her late husband with a song titled<\/p>\n
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\u201cCarl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end,\u201d\u00a0she wrote on Instagram announcing the song alongside a rare throwback photo of the couple.<\/p>\n
Parton reflected on their love story and her grief in a November 2025 PEOPLE cover story.<\/p>\n
\u201cOurs is a great old love story. Most people don\u2019t stay that close that long,\u201d Parton said of Dean at the time. \u201cThat\u2019s a loss. Nobody can ever know that unless you\u2019ve experienced it yourself. He will always be in my heart and in my memories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parton was set to return to Las Vegas in December 2025 for a residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace \u2014 her first extended run in the city in more than 30 years \u2014 but in September of that year, she announced that the dates had been postponed due to \u201chealth challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs many of you know, I\u2019ve been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000 check-up, although it\u2019s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!,\u201d she said in a statement shared to Instagram. \u201cIn all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Despite the setback, Parton reassured her fans at the time writing, \u201cAnd don\u2019t worry about me quittin\u2019 the business because God hasn\u2019t said anything about stopping yet. But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She later\u00a0in May 2026, saying in an Instagram video that she was \u201cresponding really well to meds and treatments\u201d and \u201cimproving every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Years prior, Parton told PEOPLE that even after decades in the industry there were still dreams she had left to fulfill.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just hope I live long enough to do more things,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s the only thing that worries me, that I may run out of time before I see so many of my dreams come true. I wake up with new dreams all the time. But I put them in a place where they can continue, even after I\u2019m gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a November 2025 cover story, Parton opened up to PEOPLE about her then-upcoming 80th birthday.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPeople say, \u2018Well, you\u2019re going to be 80 years old.\u2019 Well, so what? Look at all I\u2019ve done in 80 years. I feel like I\u2019m just getting started,\u201d she says. \u201cI know that sounds stupid, but unless my health gives way, which right now I seem to be doing fine . . . I think there\u2019s a lot to be said about age. If you allow yourself to get old, you will. I say, \u2018I ain\u2019t got time to get old!\u2019 I ain\u2019t got time to dwell on that. That\u2019s not what I\u2019m thinking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also reflected on her impact and intentions in the industry. \u201cI\u2019m at that point in my life where I just want to be able to do good things that can be carried on. I\u2019m proud of my legacy so far, and I hope to just continue to do things that might be of use to other people,\u201d Parton told PEOPLE at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I have just been going so fast my whole life,\u201d Parton added in the same interview. \u201cAnd I just start thinking, \u2018How in the world did I even have a life? How did I even get it done?\u2019 I really realized when I was putting this book together just how much I had sacrificed in my life. I never had children, so at least I didn\u2019t have a guilty feeling. I\u2019m thankful that I got to see my dreams come true.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Legendary singer-songwriter and country music icon\u00a0has died at the age of 80. Her nephew, Brian Seaver, revealed the news in an Aug. 25 Instagram video. \u201cMy name is … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17298","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\/17298","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=17298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17299,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17298\/revisions\/17299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}