Dolly Parton, US Country Music Legend, Dies At 80
US country music legend Dolly Parton, who grew up poor in Tennessee and became a household name with hits such as “Jolene,” has died at the age of 80, her family said Tuesday.
“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” her nephew said in a video on social media.
He said the multiple award-winning artist had “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life.”
Parton, who died Tuesday, enjoyed a six-decade career in music, during which she became one of the most successful figures in country music.
She wrote about 3,000 songs, including enduring standards such as “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” which later became a global hit for Whitney Houston.
The “Queen of Country Music” released 49 studio albums and more than 100 compilation and collaboration albums, selling more than 100 million records and topping the charts more than any woman in the genre.
She also achieved success outside country music, reaching number one on the pop charts with songs including “Islands in the Stream” and starring in films such as “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias.”
Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in Sevierville, Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children raised in poverty in the Great Smoky Mountains.
She began writing songs at the age of 10 and made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage at 13.
After graduating from high school, she moved to Nashville, the centre of country music. By 1967, at 21, she had become widely recognised after joining Porter Wagoner’s syndicated country music television show.
Among her most celebrated songs was “Coat of Many Colors,” released in 1971 and inspired by her childhood poverty.
She eventually recorded 26 number one country hits and won 10 Grammy Awards and 13 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Her 1973 ballad “I Will Always Love You,” written for Wagoner during their professional split, later became a global phenomenon when Whitney Houston recorded it for the 1992 film “The Bodyguard.”
Parton also built a successful business empire. She opened Dollywood theme park in Tennessee in 1986 and launched publishing and music production companies, a radio station and restaurants.
Beyond entertainment, she was known for philanthropy. In 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University, helping support development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Her literacy programme has also donated millions of books to children around the world.
Parton received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2006 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, after initially declining the nomination.
She never had children and remained largely private about her marriage to Carl Dean, whom she married in 1966. Dean died in 2025.
Parton leaves behind a legacy spanning music, film, business and philanthropy, with her songs continuing to influence generations of artists around the world.
