Country superstar Dolly Parton dies aged 80

Laura Harding, Press Association Entertainment Editor

Country music superstar Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, her family has announced.

The musician was best known for her genre-defining hits including 9 To 5, I Will Always Love You and Jolene.

In the video shared on Instagram, Parton’s nephew said: “My name is Brian 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 added: “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.”

A message from the family of Dolly Parton. pic.twitter.com/9DNRgRx0uH

— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) August 25, 2026

Mr Seaver added: “It is an honour, an honour 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.”

Parton’s husband Carl Dean died last year.

The musician wrote I Will Always Love You – one of the defining love songs of the 20th century – as a goodbye to her former creative partner Porter Wagoner, who hired her to be his sidekick on The Porter Wagoner Show and helped her land a record deal.

The song became a blockbuster hit when Whitney Houston recorded a cover for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.

Parton’s own film career began in 1980 when she starred in 9 To 5 with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda.

Her theme song for the movie became her first number one single on the Hot 100 chart in the US.

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