Heartbreaking feud behind Dolly Parton’s inspiration to write ‘I Will Always Love You’ 52 years ago revealed

THE heartbreaking reason behind Dolly Parton’s inspiration to write ‘I Will Always Love You’ 52 years ago has been revealed. Yesterday it was revealed that country singer legend Dolly had died aged 80 after being hospitalised over health issues. The reason behind Dolly Parton writing I Will Always Love You has been revealed Credit: Getty The tune is associated with the late Whitney Houston, but Dolly wrote the song in 1973 Credit: Alamy Dolly has left an amazing legacy behind, which includes a number of much-loved songs, including I Will Always Love You. Although the 1974 tune is associated with the late Whitney Houston, Dolly wrote the song a year prior to its release. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! And it was her professional split from Porter Wagoner which made her take a pen to paper. The Jolene singer worked alongside the music collaborator on the The Porter Wagoner Show for seven years before calling it quits in 1974 to focus on her solo career. Dolly Parton and her collaborator Porter Wagoner on the set in 1967 Credit: Getty Dolly passed away on August 25 2026 aged 80 Credit: Getty As well as starring on TV together, the pair also worked on 13 albums together. Talking about why she decided to leave, she told Howard Stern in 2023, Dolly said: “I really felt like I needed to move on. “I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life being a girl singer. “I knew my destiny. I knew that I had to continue doing what I felt… drawn to do.“ Most read in Showbiz She also previously confessed that she wanted to do her own thing because they “just kind of bashed heads”. “He had his dreams and I had mine, and I just felt that I had to go, and climbing on that ladder of success, as they say, didn’t go over well with him,” Dolly previously told Martha Stewart on her podcast. Despite that, the two did remain friends and Dolly was with Porter on the day that he died in 2007. The country legend’s nephew Bryan Seaver made the heartbreaking announcement to her official Instagram page Tuesday afternoon, shocking her fans worldwide. “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. “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. “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.” The beloved singer died in the hospital on Tuesday morning, and her cause of death has yet to be released. Comment now