Dolly Parton, Queen of Country and humanitarian, has passed away at the age of 80 after a “brief battle with cancer,” representatives have confirmed.
Her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, announced her passing on Tuesday, August 25, (Wednesday morning in Philippine time). “Dolly has opened doors not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible,” Seaver said in a video posted on Parton’s social media channels. “Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believed that anything was possible.”
Parton’s impact on music is undeniable, paving the way for women in the country genre and beyond. She broke out in the early 1970s with “Coat of Many Colors” and “My Tennessee Mountain Home” before releasing “Jolene,” a song that topped charts in the U.S. and U.K. in 1974. That same year, she also released “I Will Always Love You,” which would be covered by Whitney Houston in 1992. Today, she inspires many great female musicians who’ve dabbled in country-pop, from her goddaughter Miley Cyrus to Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and even Beyoncé.
“There will never be another you,” Carpenter said in an Instagram post paying tribute to Parton, who had joined the “Please, Please, Please” singer in a remixed version of the hit in 2025. “How lucky are we all to have experienced your singular magic as well as your once-in-a-lifetime voice, songs, and heart.”
In the realms of film and television, Parton worked as an actress and producer, starring in 9 to 5 (which inspired her song of the same name) alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Steel Magnolias, and Straight Talk, the last of which was produced under her own production company, Sandollar Productions. Among Sandollar Productions’ notable projects are the feature film Father of the Bride and the hit supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
“I know that millions are mourning and I want to say this — more than anyone I have ever known, Dolly will always be with us because she was so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever,” Fonda said in her own social media tribute. “To her gay and trans fans, I want you to know that she loved you. You know that without me telling you.”
Dolly Parton as Humanitarian: Education, Healthcare, and Moderna
Parton was also a philanthropist. Through her nonprofit, the Dollywood Foundation, she funded a 1991 program to encourage students in Tennessee to help one another stay in school, with each student receiving $500 after graduating. She also founded the Imagination Library, a free children’s book gifting program, in 1995. The program has expanded to the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and Canada.
She’s also remembered for her countless donations to healthcare initiatives and medical research, having raised money for the American Red Cross, hospital construction and upkeep, and HIV/AIDS charities.
In April 2020, she donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), with the funds going to the development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. “I’m a very proud girl today to know I had anything at all to do with something that’s going to help us through this crazy pandemic,” she told the BBC in November that year.
On August 21, she was hospitalized at the VUMC’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. According to a statement given to People by her representatives, she passed on Tuesday surrounded by loved ones. “Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” read the statement.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Dolly Parton was an American singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist regarded as the “Queen of Country.” She wrote and recorded era-defining hits including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” and her influence extended across country and pop artists for over five decades.
Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, at age 80 following what her representatives described as a “brief battle with cancer.” She passed away at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, surrounded by loved ones, according to a statement from her team.
The Imagination Library is Dolly Parton’s free children’s book gifting program, founded in 1995 and later expanded to the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and Canada. Parton’s representatives said the program donated hundreds of millions of books to children worldwide during her lifetime.
In April 2020, Dolly Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, funding research that contributed to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine development. She told the BBC in November 2020 she was proud to have played a role in helping the world through the pandemic.
Beyond music, Parton starred in and produced films including 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, and her company Sandollar Productions backed Father of the Bride and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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