Dolly Parton, beloved US country music icon, dies at 80

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkDolly Parton performs in concert in Tokyo, July 30, 1979 [Tsugufumi Matsumoto/AP]By Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated PressPublished On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026Dolly Parton, a United States country music icon who won the adoration of fans around the world with her compelling songwriting and vibrant personality, has died at the age of 80.Parton’s publicist said in a statement on Tuesday that the famed musician had passed away peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Aretha Franklin given royal farewell in Detroitlist 2 of 3Walid Khalidi, historian of the Palestinian cause, dies aged 100list 3 of 3Music world in mourning for Whitney Houstonend of list“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 for her to meet them in the heavens,” her nephew Bryan Seaver said in a video posted on Parton’s Instagram account.“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 was possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history,” he added.Dolly Parton poses for a photo at her office in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 11, 2005 [John Russell/AP]Throughout her career, Parton wrote hundreds of songs, including classics such as “Jolene”, “9 to 5”, and Coat of Many Colours”, and won a degree of acclaim and public affection that few artists in the modern era have been able to match.With enormous blonde wigs, sparkling outfits and a self-deprecating wit, Parton became one of the best-known country music artists in the US, rising to the heights of stardom from her humble beginnings in a log cabin in the southern US state of Tennessee.She gave her first musical performances in church, where her grandfather was a preacher, and appeared at the age of 13 at the storied country music venue the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, where she was introduced by Johnny Cash as “a little girl here from up in East Tennessee”.Raised as one of 12 children by a father who had quit school to work on a farm and struggled with reading, she later started an education nonprofit called Imagination Library that sent free books to children across the state.Such endeavours helped further endear Parton to the public. Fans reacted with sadness to news of her death on Tuesday, sharing anecdotes about her widespread appeal and history of personal warmth and generosity.Dolly Parton, left, Lily Tomlin, centre, and Jane Fonda, right, arrive for the premiere of their film “9 To 5” in New York City, New York, on December 14, 1980 [Richard Drew/AP]US President Donald Trump announced on social media that he was ordering flags to be flown at half-staff for a week in honor of Parton.“Dolly Parton’s legacy is not celebrity, but humanity. She came from poverty to become the most important native of Tennessee,” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, to which Parton was inducted in 1999, said in a statement. “She shared her fortunes for the good of all of us, and shared her soul in every note she sang.”Parton was the recipient of 55 Grammy nominations and 10 wins, making her the third-most nominated woman in Grammy history.