Dolly Parton Dies at 80, Family Officially Confirms
Overview & Key Takeaways
Actor, singer, and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died, her family announced her death in a video on Instagram on Tuesday. Parton was 80.
Actor, singer, and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died. Her family announced her death in a video on Instagram on Tuesday. Parton was 80.
Dolly Parton's nephew Brian Seaver announced the news.
“My name is Brian Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m 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,” he said in the video. “This 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’t truly felt it until now.”
“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”
Parton was a cornerstone of the Western pop culture landscape for 60 years, in a career that saw her sell over 100 million records, release 49 solo albums, appear in over a dozen movies, and guest-star on TV shows ranging from Candid Camera to Hollywood Squares to Grace & Frankie. At the height of her fame, it was difficult to watch any amount of American TV without seeing Dolly Parton, whether she was singing, acting, or raising money for charity.
Where Dolly started
Parton was born in 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee, as the fourth of 12 children in a poor farmer’s family. She was already performing on local radio and TV at the age of 10, and moved to Nashville to work as a songwriter as soon as she graduated high school. In partnership with her uncle Bill Owens, Parton wrote several hit songs for other performers before signing with a record label on her own.
After a brief stint as a bubblegum pop singer, Parton made a successful switch to country music in 1967. She had a few decent hits in the next few years, both by herself and as a duet with Porter Wagoner, but 1967’s “Jolene” is what truly put her on the map.
The success of "Jolene" marked the start of a meteoric rise for Parton and her subsequent crossover into mainstream stardom, which arguably culminated in the 1980 feature film 9 to 5. Parton co-starred in the film with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and sang its eponymous theme song, which reached the top of the country, pop, and contemporary charts at the same time the movie made over $100 million at the box office.
Parton’s acting career was comparatively short-lived. While she got a Golden Globe nomination for her starring role in Colin Higgins’ 1982 musical comedy The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Parton followed that up with one of the most infamous box-office bombs of the ‘80s: 1984’s Rhinestone, co-starring Sylvester Stallone. While two songs by Parton on Rhinestone’s soundtrack, “Tennessee Homesick Blues” and “God Won’t Get You,” were hit singles, the movie itself was a flop and collected 7 separate nominations at 1984’s Golden Raspberry Awards.
Parton’s film performances were few and far between after Rhinestone, although she still managed to star in another classic when she appeared in 1989’s Steel Magnolias. Instead, Parton continued to appear on TV and and release country and bluegrass albums. In 1986, she bought a stake in a Tennessee theme park that eventually became “Dollywood,” which is now the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in the state.
Dollywood also lent its name to Parton’s philanthropic efforts via her Dollywood Foundation, which became a bigger part of her fame in the latter years of Parton’s life.
Through the Foundation, she funded the Imagination Library in 1995, which offered a free book in the mail every month to children throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the UK. As of Feb. 2018, the Library had distributed 100 million free books, with the actual 100 millionth going to the Library of Congress. The Foundation also distributes college scholarships to high school students; donated money to Tennessee families who lost homes in the 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, and oversees a “Buddy Program” where junior high students team up to help one another stay in school.
Parton was married to her husband, Carl Dean, for almost 60 years, after meeting him on her first day in Nashville at the age of 18; Parton used her birth name professionally, but otherwise went by Dolly Parton Dean. They remained married until Dean’s death at age 82 in 2025, at which point Parton put her music career on hiatus.
Parton and Dean had no biological children, but helped to raise many of Parton’s younger siblings. As a result, many of Parton’s nieces and nephews came to call Parton “Aunt Granny.”
Despite her passing, Dolly's show may go on: Parton told People just days ago that she was in talks with companies and “early stages of development" to create “avatar performances” that could allow her to tour even after death.
According to the official announcement from her reps, a small, private service will be held for immediate family in the days to come. But per Dolly's request, fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com, and donating to Imagination Library.
