Dolly Parton, country music icon, dies at 80
Aug 25, 2026, 1:01 PM | Updated: Aug 26, 2026, 1:13 pm
Country music will never be the same after news broke Tuesday that Dolly Parton has passed away at the age of 80.
The news was first announced by a video message on her social media accounts from her nephew.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” Bryan Seaver, Parton’s nephew, said in the video. “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. It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by [her husband] Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.”
Parton had had 26 songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. She also sold over 100 million records and won 11 Grammy Awards after being nominated 55 times.
Not only was she a star on stage, but she also appeared in over 20 films.
It’s safe to say that not only the country music scene, but the entire music world will miss the Queen of Country and her always-joyful smile.
