NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Dolly Parton, the singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist whose music carried the stories of Appalachian life to audiences around the world, has died. She was 80.
Parton’s family announced her death Tuesday through a video shared on her official social media account. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
With an unmistakable soprano, vivid songwriting and a public image built around rhinestones, humor and candor, Parton became one of country music’s most recognizable figures. Her best-known songs included “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Her career extended well beyond country music. Parton crossed into pop, gospel, bluegrass and rock, appeared in films and television, built a business empire around Dollywood and used her success to support childhood literacy and other charitable causes.
From East Tennessee to Nashville
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born Jan. 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. She was the fourth of 12 children in a family whose life in the Great Smoky Mountains later became a recurring subject in her music.
Parton performed as a child and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry at age 13. She moved to Nashville after graduating from high school in 1964 and initially gained attention as a songwriter.
Her national breakthrough came after she joined “The Porter Wagoner Show” in 1967. Parton and Wagoner became a popular country duet team, but her growing success as a solo performer eventually led her to leave the partnership.
Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to Wagoner. Her recording reached No. 1 on the country chart, and Whitney Houston later turned the song into an international pop standard.
Parton’s other signature songs combined personal storytelling with themes of poverty, ambition, heartbreak and resilience. “Coat of Many Colors” drew from her childhood, while “Jolene” became one of the most widely recognized songs in country music.
Music, Film and Honors
Parton expanded her audience through the 1980 film “9 to 5,” in which she starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. She wrote and performed the title song, which became a major hit and earned an Academy Award nomination.
Her film credits also included “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Steel Magnolias.” In music, she recorded memorable collaborations with artists including Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
The Recording Academy lists Parton as a 10-time Grammy winner with 55 nominations. She received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Her honors also included the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts and recognition from songwriter halls of fame.
A Legacy of Literacy
Parton’s philanthropy became nearly as closely associated with her name as her music.
She founded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 after being inspired by her father’s inability to read and write. The program began in her home county in Tennessee and grew into an international effort that mails free books to children from birth to age 5.
The program now sends more than 3 million books each month to children in five countries, according to the Imagination Library.
Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died in March 2025 at age 82. The couple maintained a famously private marriage despite Parton’s public career.
Parton’s influence reached generations of musicians, songwriters and readers. Her catalog, screen work, businesses and literacy programs leave a legacy that stretches far beyond the country music stage.
Sources:
Original report
Family announcement
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Recording Academy
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
