Music icon, actress, philanthropist and the Smoky Mountain Songbird Dolly Parton has passed away at the age of 80.

Parton’s death was announced Tuesday afternoon on her social media accounts in a video from her nephew Bryan Seaver on behalf of the Parton family.

Her passing came after a period of diminishing health. Parton announced in September of last year that she was undergoing some health challenges and noted she had to undergo some “procedures” for her health. Most recently, during the season opening of Dollywood this year, she publicly revealed she was “dealing with some health issues” from which she was recovering. Her team would later reveal she passed away surrounded by loved ones at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center after a brief battle with cancer.

Her death came just over a year after her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, passed away in March 2025.

Dolly began her musical career as a child, rising out of poverty in the hills of East Tennessee- roots she never forgot.  She went on to become one of the world’s most beloved stars. Her blonde hair, flamboyant clothes and makeup became her trademark alongside her one-of-a-kind voice.

She wrote and recorded many of country and pop’s most enduring songs, including the hits “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “Here You Come Again,” “Love Is Like a Butterfly,” “9 to 5” and more.

Parton’s biggest hit was “I Will Always Love You,” which rose to the top of the charts, most notably when Whitney Houston did her 1992 cover. Houston’s performance remains the best-selling song by a female artist of all time.

The Record Industry Association of America in 2014 recognized Parton for sales of over 100 million units worldwide, including 19 RIAA-certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums out of the more than 100 studio, live, and compilation albums she released during her six-decade-plus recording career.

Parton also made a splash on the big screen with her 1980 hit comedy “9 to 5,” alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and wrote and performed the film’s chart-topping, Grammy-winning theme song by the same name. Not counting cameos, she appeared in some nine films in all, including 1989 comedy-drama “Steel Magnolias.”

Forbes magazine in June 2025 estimated Parton’s net financial worth at $450 million, placing her #78 on their list of America’s wealthiest self-made women. Parton retained ownership of the songs she wrote and the over 1,000 recordings she made. And, in later years, she became well-known as the namesake for Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge.

Going back to her roots in poverty as a child, she started the Imagination Library in 1995, which has provided nearly 308 million books for free to children not only in America but across many countries.

Locally, the Imagination Library of Coffee County released a statement following the announcement of Parton’s passing.

“Dolly Parton always said that if you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain. Today, the world feels a little grayer, but the light Dolly brought into millions of homes remains unbroken,” Dr. Monica Blake-Beasley, Imagination Library of Coffee County Board Chair, said. “Through the Imagination Library, Dolly built a bridge of books and possibility, reaching across circumstance and geography to give children the freedom to dream. She showed us that a book can be more than words on a page… it can plant a seed of hope and self-belief that lasts a lifetime.

Blake-Beasley continued and said, “As we grieve this tremendous loss alongside our Coffee County neighbors, the Imagination Library of Coffee County is committed to carrying forward Dolly’s legacy of love, generosity and possibility. Every book delivered to a child’s mailbox will continue to carry her spirit and her belief that every child deserves the chance to dream.”

In other areas of philanthropy, she stepped up when the 2016 wildfires rushed through the Great Smoky Mountains in Eastern Tennessee. Parton created a fund that gave $1,000 a month for six months to 900 families impacted by the fires.

During the pandemic, Parton donated $1 million to Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help fund the search for a COVID-19 vaccine and encouraged vaccinations.

Parton holds the rare distinction of being inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Parton received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2011, in addition to her 10 Grammy wins out of more than 50 nominations. Additionally, her songs “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2024, Billboard magazine placed Parton in the No. 1 spot on its list of the “100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time.”

According to a statement from her team, Parton’s family will have “a small, private service.”