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Accra – Aug. 26 – 24HourNews – Dolly Parton, the queen of country music and one of America’s most beloved cultural icons, has died at age 80.
Her family confirmed that she died peacefully on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. A statement from her publicist said she was surrounded by family. No official cause of death has been disclosed, but the singer had recently announced she was dealing with health issues and had to cancel a scheduled Las Vegas residency in May due to kidney-related complications.
Born Dolly Rebecca Parton on January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin in Sevier County, Tennessee, she wrote her first song, Little Tiny Tasseltop, at age six about her corncob doll. That early love for storytelling would become a career spanning nearly six decades, with over 1,000 songs written, 11 Grammy Awards, and more than 100 million records sold.
Her catalogue includes some of the most enduring songs in modern music – Jolene, I Will Always Love You, Coat of Many Colors, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream and Here You Come Again. I Will Always Love You, written as a farewell to her mentor Porter Wagoner in 1973, would later become one of the best-selling singles of all time when Whitney Houston recorded it for The Bodyguard in 1992.
Beyond music, Parton built a business empire including Dollywood, the theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which became a major employer in her home region. She was also a celebrated actress, starring in films such as 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
She was equally known for her philanthropy. In 2020 she donated $1 million to help fund Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine research. Her Imagination Library, founded in 1995, has gifted more than 250 million books to children worldwide. In recent years she focused heavily on pediatric health and literacy causes.
Parton’s ability to transcend politics and generations made her a rare unifying figure in America. In 2020, a petition to replace Confederate statues in Tennessee with a statue of Parton garnered bipartisan support, though she humbly declined the honour at the time. In April 2026, a University of Massachusetts Lowell poll named her America’s favourite public figure.
She celebrated her 80th birthday on January 19 this year with a new all-star rendition of her 1977 inspirational anthem Light of a Clear Blue Morning, featuring her goddaughter Miley Cyrus, Lainey Wilson, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire, with proceeds donated to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Governor Bill Lee had declared the day as Dolly Parton Day across Tennessee.
Tributes have poured in since the announcement. Jane Fonda described her as the voluptuous embodiment of empathy, while Sir Paul McCartney said her songwriting, singing and philanthropy were unrivaled in the world of country music.
Parton is survived by her siblings and extended family. Her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, died earlier in March 2025.
Details of funeral arrangements are yet to be announced by the family.