Country music icon Dolly Parton has died aged 80, her nephew Bryan Seaver announced in a video statement shared from her official Instagram account. Seaver, speaking on behalf of the Parton and Owens family, said Parton died peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee.
Family tribute and final wishes
Seaver, who served as her head of security for more than two decades, a role his father Larry held before him, said the video announcement was something Parton asked of him years ago. 'It is an honour. An honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,' he said.
Seaver added that Parton '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 for her to meet them in the heavens,' referring to her late husband Carl Dean, who died last year.
In a further statement on X, the family confirmed there will be a 'small, private' funeral service for immediate family, at the singer's request. They encouraged fans to pay tribute by tagging Parton's official handle or leaving a message on her website.
Health struggles before death
Parton was open about her health issues in the lead-up to her death, most recently pulling out of a fan event earlier this month due to 'dizziness and dehydration'. Just last week, she acknowledged 'health issues', which she said she had not tended to while caring for her husband Carl.
She told People: 'This isn't the first time I've had to manage something like this. Back in the early '80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it's not like I haven't been through hard times with my health.'
Parton was last pictured in public in June, when she unveiled Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop, a truck stop in Cornersville complete with a sit-down cafe and restaurant, gas pumps, and Dolly-themed merchandise.
Global tributes pour in
Tributes have already started pouring in from around the globe, with Sarah Jessica Parker hailing her as 'one of the greatest this country ever produced' and Jamie Lee Curtis writing: 'She is a great example for us all.' President Donald Trump also penned a tribute stating there 'will never be anyone like Dolly' and vowing to lower the US flag throughout the country for a week.
Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. She was the fourth of 12 children born to Robert Lee Parton, a sharecropper and construction worker, and Avie Lee Parton, a homemaker. As soon as she graduated high school, Dolly set off for Nashville.
She found an early champion in country star and Grand Ole Opry mainstay Porter Wagoner, regularly joining him on his nationally syndicated television show. In 1970, Parton earned her first country chart number one with the upbeat track Joshua. She followed it with Coat of Many Colours, and in 1973 scored another chart-topper with Jolene.
Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2011. In later years, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Parton built an empire on her own terms: a country artist who crossed over to pop, a savvy businesswoman who opened Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and a philanthropist who gave away millions through her Imagination Library, a book-gifting program that has mailed over 200 million free books to children worldwide. In lieu of flowers, Parton's family has asked fans and friends to donate to the library in her honour.
