Dolly Parton, one of the defining figures of American country music, died on the 25th at the age of 80. The news was shared on behalf of the family by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, through a video posted to Parton's official Instagram account. In the video, Seaver explained that Parton had entrusted him with the announcement years earlier.
The Associated Press reported that Parton died peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee, citing a statement from her publicist. The cause of death was not disclosed.
The funeral will be held as a small, private ceremony attended only by immediate family. Last fall, Parton canceled a residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas over health issues, saying she needed "a few procedures," and in mid-October she withdrew from a Dollywood event because of dehydration and dizziness.
Born in 1946 into a family of 12 children in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, Parton worked for more than 60 years as a singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, author and businessperson. The AP described her as having risen from a mountain log cabin to the pinnacle of country music through her powerful vibrato, narrative lyrics and flamboyant stage costumes.
The New York Times remembered her by writing that "Parton's music radiated possibility and hope while confronting hardship and loss head-on." The paper added that she built a distinctive style by shrewdly using and transcending stereotypes of rural life and kitsch, calling her "a rare symbol of unity that everyone in a deeply divided America could agree on and love."
"Jolene," released in 1973, crossed over from the country charts to the pop charts and became an international hit. "I Will Always Love You," which she wrote the following year, led to Country Music Association (CMA) Female Vocalist of the Year awards in 1975 and 1976, and was reintroduced to a new generation when Whitney Houston reinterpreted it as the theme song for the 1992 film "The Bodyguard."
Other signature songs include the title track of the 1980 film "9 to 5" and "Islands in the Stream," a duet with Kenny Rogers. She won 11 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award, and her record sales worldwide exceeded 100 million copies.
Philanthropy was another pillar of her career. Parton founded the Imagination Library, a nonprofit that sends free books to preschool children, running literacy programs in the United States as well as Canada, Britain, Australia and Ireland. When Tennessee was hit by wildfires in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2016, she organized a telethon to support displaced residents, and during the spread of COVID-19 she donated $1 million (about 1.4 billion won) to Vanderbilt University for vaccine research, remaining an early backer of the Moderna vaccine's development. In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations to the Imagination Library.
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Parton's death was "a great loss to so many," saying that "there was nobody like her, and there never will be."
Trump ordered flags flown at half-staff nationwide for one week starting at 6 p.m. that day. Parton had been named the recipient of the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Poet's Award last week but was unable to attend the ceremony. She was also scheduled to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association next month. Her husband, Carl Dean, died in March of last year.
