Dolly Parton Is Dead At 80, Makes Arrangement For Own Funeral
Dolly Parton, the iconic Queen of Country Music, has died.
She was 80 years old.
An indubitable global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved Singer, Songwriter, Philanthropist, Actress, Playwright and Author died peacefully on Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee.
At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family.
Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at http://dollyparton.com.
In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at http://imaginationlibrary.com.
Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000).
With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.
Just days ago, Parton said she’s having “hard times with my health.”
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” her publicist said.
This comes six days after she had to virtually accept a Country Music Award, citing health issues.
With classic songs including “Coat of Many Colors,” “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” Parton became one of the best-selling female artists of all time, with over 100 million records sold. She won 11 Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Over the years Parton hosted a TV variety show, starred in movies, and even created a theme park, Dollywood, a popular tourist spot in her home state of Tennessee — all in addition to her lauded work as a songwriter.
But the quality that gave her enduring star power was her ability to connect with people.
Coming from a self-described “dirt-poor” family, Parton often stood in as a symbol of the working-class American and regularly threw her name and money behind causes she believed in.
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee, and grew up in a one-room cabin in nearby Locust Ridge.
One of 12 children of tobacco farmer Robert Lee Parton, her difficult childhood gave credibility to her often personal songs trilled in a distinctive soprano.
Her mother, Avie Lee, would sing constantly — songs from England, Ireland and Wales that told a story.
“Mama had this haunting voice, and Lord you would feel it,” Parton wrote in her 2020 book “Dolly Parton, Songteller” co-authored with Robert K. Oermann.
Parton got her first real guitar when she was eight.
Her mother would say, whenever she had guests: “I want you to hear this song this little thing has made up. It’s really good.”
Parton loved the attention.
She was singing on a local radio station by age 11, and at age 13 was appearing on the Grand Ole Opry, a weekly country music concert in Nashville, Tennessee.
After graduating from high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue a music career and began a famous partnership with country music singer Porter Wagoner, which would include a years-long stint on his TV show and 14 top-ten duets.
She penned her hit song “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to Wagoner when she decided to pursue a solo career.
On the first day Parton arrived in country music’s capital, she met Carl Dean, an asphalt paver.
They would marry two years later, in 1966.
Throughout their long marriage, Dean shunned the spotlight and did not tour with her, though he would be a muse for many of her greatest hits, including “Jolene,” which was inspired by a red-haired bank teller’s crush on Dean.
