The family confirmed her death in a statement.
Parton died peacefully in Nashville on August 25. No cause of death has been disclosed. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the news in a video shared through Parton’s social media accounts. At Parton’s request, a small private service will be held for immediate family, while fans have been encouraged to donate to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in lieu of sending flowers.
Parton’s death comes just over a year after the death of her husband of nearly six decades, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at 82. In recent months, Parton had also dealt with health issues that forced her to cancel appearances, though she had continued working and speaking publicly about future projects.
One of the most celebrated artists in country music history, Parton built a seven-decade career behind songs including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.” She sold more than 100 million records worldwide, scored 25 No. 1 songs on Billboard’s country charts and wrote an estimated 3,000 songs.
Parton earned 10 competitive Grammy Awards from 55 nominations and received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” were both inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and received a Kennedy Center Honor and National Medal of Arts.
Her influence extended well beyond music. Parton starred in films including 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, built Dollywood into one of Tennessee’s best-known attractions and founded the Imagination Library, which has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children around the world. She also famously donated $1 million toward COVID-19 vaccine research at Vanderbilt University.
Parton’s family remembered her legacy as one defined by “love, compassion, and resilience,” saying her music and philanthropic work would continue to have a lasting impact.
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