NASHVILLE, United States – Legendary American singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist Dolly Parton, widely revered across the globe as the “Queen of Country,” has died at the age of 80, her family announced on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
The news of her passing was confirmed on behalf of the Parton family in a video statement released by her nephew and longtime associate, Bryan Seaver, marking the close of an iconic entertainment career that spanned six decades and reshaped popular music.
Okay News reports that Parton rose from impoverished beginnings in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee to become one of the best-selling and most celebrated musical artists of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide and composing more than 3,000 songs, including cultural anthems such as “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Throughout her career, Parton won 11 Grammy Awards, earned induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and achieved 25 solo number-one hits on the Billboard country charts. Her enduring business acumen was famously demonstrated when she retained her publishing rights to “I Will Always Love You,” which later became one of the biggest-selling singles in history when recorded by Whitney Houston in 1992.
Her passing triggered global tributes across the entertainment and political spheres. United States President Donald Trump paid tribute to the country icon, describing her as an irreplaceable cultural treasure and ordering American flags flown at half-mast for a one-week period in her honour.
“There has never been anyone like her, and never will be. It is a true loss for millions of people,” Trump stated.
Parton’s death follows the passing of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, in 2025. Beyond her musical achievements, Parton was globally acclaimed for her philanthropic initiatives, including the Imagination Library, which has distributed hundreds of millions of books to young children worldwide.
