Dolly Parton, whose music and generosity touched generations, has died at 80 Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes carried her from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom, has died in Nashville. She was 80.
“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, Marcel Pariseau, said in a statement Tuesday.
Known for her curvy figure, towering blond wigs and self-deprecating wit, Parton was one of the rare celebrities whose appeal crossed generations, geography and politics. She wrote hundreds of songs, including “Jolene”, “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You”, which together sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. She was also a generous philanthropist, building projects including the Dollywood theme park near her birthplace.
One of 12 children born into what she called a “dirt poor” Tennessee family, Parton moved to Nashville after high school in 1964. Her partnership with Porter Wagoner proved pivotal, helping her land a deal at RCA. In 1973, “Jolene” made her career, topping the country charts and crossing into pop.
She followed it with “I Will Always Love You” in 1974. She turned down Elvis Presley’s request to record it rather than share publishing rights; decades later, Whitney Houston’s version became a smash hit for “The Bodyguard”. “I had no fear of change”, Parton told the AP in 1979. “I expected success, but I was braced for failure. In my own heart, I knew I was doing the right thing”.
To millions, she was simply “Dolly” — Southern charm, humor and glamour combined, and a feminist role model for controlling her own career and finances in a male-dominated industry.
She married Carl Dean, an asphalt paving contractor, in the mid-1960s; they stayed together until his death in 2025 at 82.
Parton’s first major film role came in 1980’s “9 to 5”, alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Roles in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Steel Magnolias” followed, along with a career as an author. A new stage musical, “DOLLY: A True Original”, is set to open January 19, 2027 — what would have been her 81st birthday.
With 55 Grammy nominations and 10 wins, she ranks third among the most-nominated women in Grammy history, behind only Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Her appeal crossed political lines for decades, though she kept her own politics private. “I don’t do politics”, she said on the podcast “Dolly Parton’s America”. “I have too many fans on both sides of the fence”.
- Source: AP