Dolly Parton, queen of country music, dies at 80

Country music icon Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80 in Nashville on Tuesday (Aug. 25), following a year-long private battle with unspecified health issues. Parton had recently postponed and cancelled her planned 2025 Las Vegas residency due to her health struggles. She died 17 months after her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who passed away on March 3, 2025, at the age of 82.

A small, private service will be held for Parton's immediate family, while fans and friends worldwide are encouraged to pay tribute to her on social media by using the handle @DollyParton or leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com.

Born in Sevier County, Tennessee, on January 19, 1946, Parton began her music career at a young age. She recorded her first single, "Puppy Love," at the age of 13. Parton started her professional career as a songwriter in Nashville in 1966 and married Dean in the same year. Her breakthrough as a solo artist came in 1970 with her cover of Jimmie Rodgers' "Mule Skinner Blues," which reached No. 3 on the charts.

Parton's personal and professional life was deeply influenced by the rural poverty of her childhood, which shaped her passionate sentimentalist persona. Throughout her career, she consistently released a Top Ten Country single every year until 1985. Parton's hits, many of which she wrote herself, earned her numerous accolades, including Billboard naming her the top country artist of all time in 2024.