Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, according to reports by multiple international media organisations, including The Independent, The Guardian and Sky News.
Her death was reportedly announced on Instagram on Tuesday by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who described the moment as one filled with both pride and profound sadness.
In response to her death, United States President Donald Trump ordered American flags across the country to be flown at half-staff for one week, beginning at 6pm Tuesday.
Trump described Parton’s death as a “true loss for millions of people” and praised her as one of the greatest country singers of all time.
Parton, who rose from poverty in Tennessee to become one of the world’s most influential country music figures, enjoyed a career spanning more than six decades.
She sold more than 100 million records worldwide and earned the nickname “Queen of Country”, with famous songs including Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You.
The singer-songwriter wrote more than 3,000 songs and won 11 Grammy Awards. She also established a successful acting career, appearing in films such as 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Joyful Noise.
Born on January 19, 1946, in a two-room log cabin beside the Little Pigeon River in Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children.
Her father, an illiterate sharecropper who later became the owner of a small tobacco farm, and her mother played important roles in shaping her character. Parton often described her childhood as one of extreme poverty while crediting her mother for teaching her traditional folk songs and her father for instilling a strong work ethic.
Parton began performing as a child and, by the age of 13, had appeared on radio and television in East Tennessee, performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and recorded her first single, Puppy Love.
After graduating from high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville the following day to pursue music and songwriting.
She released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967, the same year she joined The Porter Wagoner Show. Country star Porter Wagoner mentored her, and the pair went on to record several successful albums together.
In 1973, Parton chose to pursue a solo career and wrote I Will Always Love You about her professional split from Wagoner. The song became a major hit and was later famously recorded by Whitney Houston for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
Around the same period, Parton wrote Jolene, another of her most recognised songs. Both tracks appeared on her 1974 album Jolene, which helped expand her audience beyond country music.
Her 1977 album Here You Come Again became her first record to sell one million copies and earned her first Grammy Award after almost a decade of nominations.
Parton made her film debut in 1980, starring alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the comedy 9 to 5. She also wrote and performed the movie’s title song, which reached number one and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
The film opened the door to a successful acting career, with later roles in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1982, Steel Magnolias in 1989 and Joyful Noise in 2012.
Beyond entertainment, Parton developed a business empire that included television productions, food products and Dollywood, the Tennessee theme park she acquired an interest in and renamed in 1986.
She was equally recognised for her philanthropy. Through the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, she promoted childhood literacy and also supported medical research, disaster relief and other charitable initiatives.
Parton donated $1 million towards COVID-19 vaccine research and received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022.
Parton’s health challenges became public in September 2025, when she postponed a planned Las Vegas residency. She had also stepped back from public appearances in recent weeks amid continuing health concerns.
Her death comes about a year after the passing of her husband, Carl Dean, whom she married in 1966. Dean died in March 2025 at the age of 82, after nearly 60 years of marriage.
In a post on his Truth Social account on Tuesday, which was also shared by the White House on X, Trump said there had never been anyone like Parton and expressed his condolences to her fans around the world.
The President directed that American flags be lowered nationwide for one week in her honour.
