Dolly Parton, One of Country Music’s Biggest & Brightest Icons, Dies at 80

Dolly Parton , the extraordinarily versatile singer and songwriter who built up her artistic credibility and commercial fortunes in both country and pop music over more than half a century, died in Nashville on Tuesday (Aug.

25) at the age of 80.

Parton had been mostly out of sight eye for the past year following a struggle with unspecified health issues that forced the “9 to 5” singer/songwriter to curtail public appearances and postpone, then cancel her planned 2025 Las Vegas residency.

Her death came 17 months after the passing of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died on March 3, 2025 at age 82.

“At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family,” read a press release announcing the awful news.

“Dolly’s 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.

In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com.” Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, shared a message on Instagram after her passing.

View this post on Instagram “The magic with me,” Parton liked to say, “is that I look completely false when I’m completely real.” She was famous for her wall of self-conscious artifice — she modeled her done-to-the-nines appearance on a prostitute in her hometown, and she always had a self-teasing quip at the ready.

But she was also a magnificent singer, with an aching soprano trill that never left her, and a virtuosic songwriter whose work was adopted by artists from Whitney Houston (“I Will Always Love You”) to the White Stripes (“Jolene”).

Parton, who Billboard editors named the top country artist of all time in 2024, was a cultural and commercial force.

She landed 49 albums in the top 10 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, the most of any woman.

She also scored more No.

1s on the Hot Country Songs chart for a woman artist at 25.

Born January 19, 1946, to a poor family in Sevier County, Tenn., Parton started recording at an early age: her first single, “Puppy Love,” appeared when she was 13.