Dolly Parton dead at 80 after months-long health battle as nephew shares heartbreaking tribute to country music icon

DOLLY Parton has died at the age of 80 after a lengthy health battle. The country legend’s nephew Bryan Seaver made the heartbreaking announcement to her official Instagram page Tuesday afternoon, shocking her fans worldwide. Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 after a lengthy health battle Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via The legendary singer spent over 65 years in the music industry Credit: Getty Images – Getty “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,” he began in an emotional video. “This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! “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. “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. read more in Dolly Parton “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 parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens. It comes as… Star looked upbeat in final photos taken just weeks before her death Khloe Kardashian and Kelly Osbourne lead emotional tributes to country legend Family statement in full as nephew confirms country music icon’s death Singer revealed ‘hard times with health’ just days before passing Heartbreaking last post looked forward to opening of her museum Trump pays tribute to one of the ‘greatest singers’ Star joked about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s future kids in heartbreaking last video post “I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s. Dolly opened doors not just for me but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible. Most read in Celebrity Dolly’s nephew Bryan made the heartbreaking announcement on the singer’s Instagram Credit: Instagram/dollyparton Dolly was last seen at the opening of her Nashville truck stop in June Credit: NICOLE HESTER / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images “Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. “By her example, we believed that anything is possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. “My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not. “Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever. “Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy; he farmed the soil, she farmed songs and happiness. “Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.” According to TMZ, Dolly was admitted to a Nashville hospital on Thursday night suffering from kidney and autoimmune problems. She had been struggling with her health for some time before her death. Dolly sang a duet with Kenny Rogers in July 1989 Credit: Alamy Sabrina Carpenter and Dolly smiled as the pair met up to record Please Please Please last year Credit: Instagram Dolly was forced to bow out of numerous scheduled gigs planned for 2025 and earlier this year. But during her last public appearance, Dolly appeared upbeat at the unveiling of her new Nashville truck stop. She looked stunning with her signature heels and her big blond hair during the June event. And just one week before her death, she shared about her excitement to open a new museum in her very last post. “It’s the biggest exhibit of yours truly that the world has ever seen,” she gushed about the exhibit, which is scheduled to open at her SongTeller Hotel in Nashville later this year. In 2025, the Tennessee native had said she needed to go through “a few procedures” amid ongoing “health challenges.” On October 6, Dolly’s sister Frieda had pleaded with her fans to pray for her sibling due to fears around her health. Frieda posted an emotional statement online saying: “I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.” Dolly performed during a college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Georgia Bulldogs on November 18, 2023, at Neyland Stadium, in Knoxville Credit: Getty Dolly posed for Playboy in 1978 Credit: Getty Images In March of last year, Dolly lost her beloved husband Carl Dean after nearly 60 years of marriage. Carl, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019, died at the age of 82. In a touching tribute to Carl after his death, Dolly dedicated the song, If You Hadn’t Been There, to his memory. She started her music career as a child performing for local radio stations and on TV shows across her hometown Pittman Centre. At just 11 years old, Dolly recorded her first single titled Puppy Love. Across the following decade she became known as more of a top songwriter alongside her uncle Bill Owens. In 1965, the 19-year-old future icon signed her first record deal with Monument Records as a singer songwriter. She had several songs chart in the US country charts in the late 1960s before releasing her debut album Hello, I’m Dolly. Dolly performed Jolene with goddaughter Miley Cyrus at the 61st annual Grammy Awards in 2019 Credit: AP Dolly wore a gold dress in her final Instagram post just a week before her death Credit: Instagram / dollyparton Dolly’s biggest mainstream hit came in 1973 when she released Jolene. The hit made it to number one on the country charts and even cracked the Hot 100. It also made it onto the UK and international charts as Dolly Parton became a household name for country fans across the world. Between 1974 and 1980, Dolly produced a series of country hits which included wight number one singles. During this time, she even won a Grammy award for the Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her Here You Come Again album. Now viewed as a mainstream superstar in the US, Dolly would appear on several major TV chat shows and take part in interviews. Her commercial success skyrocketed in 1980 as she released three consecutive country chart toppers. Starting Over Again and Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You became beloved songs for the genre. Dolly with her late husband of almost 60 years Carl Dean Dolly pictured at just 14, when she started to perform Credit: Rex But it was the smash hit 9 to 5 which broke through into the pop charts and remained there into early 1981. The song was initially made for the comedy flick of the same name and quickly became an anthem across the US workplace for its catchy chorus. It won Dolly countless awards including two Grammy Awards and a nominations for Song of the Year. She also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. It also marked one of her greatest achievements as she became one of the few female country singers to have a number one single on both the country and pop charts simultaneously. The song remains a classic today and is often performed at karaoke nights, parties and classic country nights across the globe. Dolly remained a cult figure in the US music industry for another several decades with her releasing music right up until her passing. In 2025, she featured alongside Sabrina Carpenter on Please Please Please as well as releasing a heartfelt song for her late husband. Dolly Parton's Career Highlights DOLLY Parton is one of the most well-known country stars in the business, and her career has continued to flourish. Here’s a look at the highlights of the music legend’s decades-long career… Dolly wrote and released her first single, Puppy Love, including the B-track Girl Left Alone, on Goldband Records when she was 11 years old. Although her single wasn’t a big hit, she ended up performing at Nashville, Tennessee’s Grand Ole Opry for the first time at 13 years old and was introduced by Johnny Cash. Dolly made the Billboard country charts in January 1967 with two singles from Monument Records: Dumb Blonde and Something Fishy. The singer earned her first number-one hit in 1971 with her single Joshua. In 1974, Dolly’s arguably most well-known song, Jolene, reached number one on the country charts. Her music continued to succeed, and she was awarded the Female Vocalist of the Year award at the CMAs in 1975. Dolly’s track, Here You Come Again, achieved platinum status in 1978, and the album earned her a Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. In 1980, Dolly starred in her first film, 9 to 5, alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda and released her hit song of the same name. The star opened her famed amusement park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1986. Later that year, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. At 75 years old, Dolly recreated her 1978 Playboy Cover for her husband Carl Dean’s birthday. In May 2022, it was announced that Dolly would officially be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, alongside Eminem, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, and Pat Benatar. Dolly has no children but leaves behind her legacy in music. Across her illustrious career, Dolly became one of the most-honored female country performers of all time. A total of 25 of her single or albums became Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum records. She had 26 songs reach number one on the Billboard country charts – a record for a female artist – and 42 career top 10 country albums. As of 2012, she had written more than 3,000 songs and sold more than 100 million records. She also boasts a whole host of awards including 11 Grammy Awards alongside 55 nominations. Dolly is also in several hall of fames across the US including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2023, she was even ranked at number 27 on Rolling Stone‘s 2023 list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.