Dolly Parton, the country music legend and philanthropist whose film roles included 9 To 5 and Steel Magnolias, has died in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80.
Parton’s nephew and longtime head of security Bryan Sever announced the news on Instagram on Tuesday morning, writing: “I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.
“It is an honour,” Sever continued. “An honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light.”
No cause was given for Parton’s death. Her health had been in decline and late last year she cancelled a Las Vegas residency, and did not attend the Academy ceremony to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
The vivacious and famously gracious and witty Parton was born on January 19 1946 in Tennessee as the fourth of 12 children. After singing in church she broke out, performing on local radio before a move to Nashville set her on her way to stardom.
Parton replaced Norma Jean to duet with television presenter Porter Wagner from the late 1960s before her solo career began to take off. In the early 1970s she released Joshua and Coat Of Many Colours and Jolene in 1973.
Her genius as a songwriter saw her write classics such as I Will Always Love You, which was later covered by Whitney Houston, Here You Come Again, and 9 To 5.
Parton’s charm crossed into Hollywood and she starred in 9 To 5 with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, which earned her an Oscar nomination for best song in 1981; Rhinestone (1984) with Sylvester Stallone; The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (1982) opposite Burt Reynolds; and Steel Magnolias (1989) with Shirley Maclaine, Julia Roberts and Sally Field. She earned a second best song Oscar nod for Transamerica in 2006.
Usually bedecked in rhinestones and always quick to poke fun at herself, Parton once quipped: “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.”
Parton won 11 Grammys and the lifetime achievement award. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002.
Her late husband Carl Dean died in 2025.
