The death has been announced of the music legend Dolly Parton. She was 80.
Her death was announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, on social media.
In the video, Dolly Parton’s nephew said: “My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean.
“Sister, sis, and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next.
“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.”
He continued: “It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.
“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl (her late husband), her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”
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‘The songs are my legacy’ – 80 years of Dolly Parton
In an interview published last week, Dolly Parton said she put her own health to the side while caring for her husband before his death last year.
She had spoken about her ongoing health problems after she was forced to pull out of a Dollywood appearance earlier this month.
Watch: Dolly Parton on The Late Late Show in October 2002
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Parton missed the opening night of a new attraction at her Tennessee theme park after experiencing dizziness and dehydration, with doctors advising her against travel.
In the aftermath of the cancelled appearance, she told People: “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”
Dolly Parton was prolific in a career spanning six decades during which she penned some 3,000 songs, including the iconic ballad I Will Always Love You, which became an international hit for Whitney Houston
The Jolene singer was married to Carl Thomas Dean for almost 60 years until his death in March 2025, aged 82.
Parton was prolific in a career spanning six decades during which she penned some 3,000 songs, including the iconic ballad I Will Always Love You, which became an international hit for Whitney Houston.
Releasing 49 studio albums and more than 100 compilation and collaboration albums, she earned the title of ‘Queen of Country Music’.
Her 11 Grammy wins included the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
On the big screen, Parton’s most famous role was her debut alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the 1980 comedy 9 to 5.
The theme song, written by Parton, won two Grammys and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Dolly Parton as Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5 (1980)
In 2006, she was again nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song for Travelin’ Thru from the film Transamerica.
Her other film acting credits included Rhinestone and Steel Magnolias.
On television, she starred in numerous specials and TV movies, with her series credits including The Simpsons, Reba, and Hannah Montana.
A champion of children’s literacy, Parton’s works as an author included fiction, memoir, cookery, and children’s books.
Parton received the National Medal of Arts in the US in 2005 and was among the honourees at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006.
In 2025, Oscars organiser The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honoured her with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
“By her example, we believed that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history,” her nephew Bryan Seaver said.
Source: Press Association, AFP