Dolly Parton, the legendary American country music singer and 11-time Grammy Award winner, has died at the age of 80 following a prolonged health battle.
Parton, who spent nearly seven decades in music, was known worldwide for hit songs including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.”
The news was announced on Tuesday by her nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, made the heart breaking announcement to her official Instagram page Tuesday afternoon, shocking her fans worldwide.
“By her example, we believed anything was possible,” her nephew, Bryan Seaver, said in a video message. “She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history.”
“Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever.
President Trump on Tuesday afternoon said on social media that Parton’s death “is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will.
In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you.”
Parton’s death comes after she announced in May 2026 that she was canceling her Las Vegas residency, which was set to begin in September after already being postponed nine months.
She cited unspecified health issues but told the public, via Instagram video, that she was “responding really well to meds and treatments” and “improving every day.”
Known as the Queen of Country, Parton built a successful career that spanned decades, during which she became one of the most honored female country performers of all time.
She received 10 Grammy Awards, plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, and she holds the record for a female artist with 25 No. 1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.