Dolly Parton Dies at 80 After Cancer

Country music icon Dolly Parton died at 80 after a brief battle with cancer in Nashville.

Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. Her family said in a statement that she had "bravely [faced] a brief battle with cancer" and passed away at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, surrounded by loved ones. Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the death in a video posted to Parton's Instagram account, saying the announcement was something his aunt had asked him to do "years ago." According to Yahoo, at Parton's request a small private service will be held for immediate family, with donations to the Imagination Library requested in lieu of flowers. President Trump ordered U.S. flags lowered to half-staff nationwide for one week. In his social media tribute, Yahoo reports, he wrote: "Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you."

On August 21, she told People magazine she was "dealing with some health issues" she hadn't addressed while caring for her late husband, Carl Dean, who died on March 3, 2025. Yet she insisted: "Even though I'm still healin', I'm still workin'!" According to Variety, Parton had been planning a Nashville museum and hotel, an endorsement deal with Purina dog treats, and her own coffee brand called Cup of Ambition. A musical based on her life, "Dolly, A True Original Musical," is scheduled to open on Broadway on January 19, 2027, which would have been her 81st birthday, according to Variety. Her last major in-person public appearance was in June, at the opening of a gas station and restaurant called Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop, 6abc Philadelphia reports.

Parton's health struggles had been mounting over the past year. In May 2026, she canceled a Las Vegas residency that had already been postponed once, citing undisclosed health issues and saying she was "responding really well to meds and treatments." She had been dealing with kidney stones and said her immune and digestive systems had gotten "all out of whack." On August 14, she missed the opening of a new ride at Dollywood, appearing via recorded video instead and explaining she was experiencing dizziness and dehydration. According to 6abc Philadelphia, in October 2025 Parton posted a video proclaiming "I ain't dead yet" after her sister asked for prayers, clarifying she was simply "a little under the weather." She had told People that she let health issues go unaddressed while caring for her late husband during his illness.

Born January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin in East Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children. She moved to Nashville after graduating high school in 1964 and got her big break in 1967 on The Porter Wagoner Show. Her first solo No. 1 country hit was "Joshua" in 1971, followed by "Jolene" in 1974. According to Yahoo, "I Will Always Love You" was also released in 1974 and later became a massive pop hit when Whitney Houston covered it for The Bodyguard soundtrack in 1992. Parton made her film debut in 1980's "9 to 5," and Yahoo reports the theme song was Oscar-nominated. She holds the record for a female artist with 25 No. 1s on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Yahoo also reports she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. She received Kennedy Center Honors in 2006.

In 1995, she launched the Imagination Library, inspired by her father's illiteracy. According to NBC News, the program has mailed more than 300 million free books to children across the U.S., Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland; My Modern Met reports the figure has surpassed 332 million. Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020, and according to NBC News, the funding contributed to the development of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. Yahoo reports that her My People Fund raised and distributed more than $12 million after the 2016 Sevier County wildfires, and that she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2025. She opened Dollywood in East Tennessee in 1986, a theme park that became a major tourist attraction and helped fund her nonprofit Dollywood Foundation.

Tributes poured in from across the entertainment world and beyond. According to My Modern Met, fellow country star Reba McEntire wrote that "there will never ever be another you," while Kacey Musgraves said "the world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden." My Modern Met also reports that musician Jack White posted a photo of a young Parton with the caption "Instant Sainthood," and the team behind The Muppets called her "the ultimate singer, songwriter, actress, performer, and philanthropist." President Trump praised her on social media, and Yahoo reports he wrote that "there has never been anyone like her, and never will." According to Yahoo, Parton's family and team said they will "work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever." The Broadway musical based on her life, "Dolly, A True Original Musical," is still set to open on January 19, 2027, according to Variety, and her Imagination Library continues to deliver books to children worldwide.