Country music icon Dolly Parton dies, aged 80

25 August 2026, 19:25 | Updated: 25 August 2026, 19:47

The Queen of Country known for hits such as 9 to 5, Here You Come Again and Islands in the Stream has passed away.

Dolly Parton has passed away aged 80.

The country music legend's nephew revealed the sad news in an Instagram video, telling fans: "My name is Brin 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.

“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.”

Dolly had previously opened up about health issues, telling PEOPLE earlier this month: "As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.

"You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health."

She added: "But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’! You know me — as I’ve often said — I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life."

Born on January 19th, 1946, in East Tennessee, she celebrated her 80th birthday this January.

Across a seven-decade career she sold more than 100 million records and won 11 Grammys, writing 'Jolene', 'Coat of Many Colors' and 'I Will Always Love You', and starring in 9 to 5.

She also built Dollywood and founded the Imagination Library, one of the world's leading book-gifting programmes. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died last year.