Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, confirmed the news in a video shared with the star's 8.7 million Instagram followers.
Family confirms the news
Seaver announced that Parton had been welcomed by "the arms of Jesus." He said: "This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven't truly felt it until now."
Seaver, the son of Dolly's sister Cassie Parton, said his aunt is now "in the arms of Jesus, surely met by her late husband Carl and her parents" in the heavens. He said Dolly had "opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent."
Health struggles before death
The announcement comes after Dolly pulled out of an event at Dollywood due to poor health. In a new interview just this month, she said: "I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn't pay attention to when I was watching over Carl. It's not like I haven't been through hard times with my health. But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago."
A life in pictures
Here is Dolly Parton's remarkable life in pictures - from the young girl with big dreams to her rise as country music royalty and the beloved icon in her later years.
Long before the wigs, sequins and sold-out shows, Dolly Rebecca Parton was a young girl growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. In 1965, she posed for a portrait as the young singer began making her mark in the music industry. At 19, she signed with Monument Records and was initially promoted as a bubble-gum pop singer rather than a country artist.
Dolly married Carl Dean in a secret, tiny ceremony on May 30, 1966, in Ringgold, Georgia, at the age of 20. The young star was actively launching her professional music career at the time, having recorded a handful of individual singles. In 1967, she appeared alongside Porter Wagoner on the set of his television show, early in their successful music partnership - which launched Parton into national stardom.
In 1975, Dolly performed live and did promotional work across Los Angeles, California, in a pivotal transition period as she broke out as a major solo artist. She later joined her sisters Stella Parton and Freida Parton at Bearsville Studios in North Hollywood, California, for the recording of Freida Parton's Self-Titled Album-'Freida Parton'.
Dolly was seen playing the warm-hearted Louisiana beauty shop owner Truvy Jones in the classic 1989 comedy-drama Steel Magnolias. She also had a recurring guest role as Miley Stewart's 'Aunt Dolly' on Hannah Montana because her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, personally asked the show's writers to include her.
Dolly Parton performed during the Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day halftime show in 2023, dazzling the crowd at AT&T Stadium in Texas at 77.
