Country music icon Dolly Parton has died at 80. Her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in a video posted to her Instagram account on 25 August 2026. She died in Nashville, Tennessee.
Parton had been open about her declining health in the months leading up to her death. She told People magazine she was “dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” referring to her husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.
The two had been together for nearly 60 years.
Dolly Parton dies at 80
Parton was admitted to hospital on 21 August. Her cause of death had not been released at the time of publication.
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The person Parton asked to deliver the news
In the video, Seaver introduced himself as the son of Cassie Parton, “representing the Parton and Owens family” to announce the the passing of his “aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next.”
“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,” Seaver said.
He added, “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”
Seaver described going on the road with parton as a kid, “getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s.” He said she “opened doors for him and his entire family to reach their potential. “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 is possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history.”
A career that ran longer than most people’s lifetimes
Parton’s career spanned more than six decades. She became one of the most recognised singer-songwriters in country music history, known for recordings including Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You.
According to her own website, she sold more than 100 million records worldwide. She put out 49 studio albums over the course of her career.
She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001. She received a National Medal of Arts in 2005 and Kennedy Center Honors in 2006. She won 10 Grammy Awards over her career.
Health in decline since husband’s death
Parton’s health struggles became public knowledge in the months after Dean died in March 2025. She had mentioned immune system and digestive issues, kidney stones, and complications from medications. She also cancelled a Dollywood appearance after her doctor advised her not to travel while she was dealing with dehydration and occasional dizziness.
In an Instagram video from October 2025, Parton pushed back on fears about her condition. “I want you to know I’m OK. I’ve got some problems… nothing major,” she said at the time, adding, “I’m not dying.”
Her sister Freida Parton had also asked fans to pray for her, though she later said she “didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious.”
Parton also starred in films including 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, and was the driving force behind Dollywood, the theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which she first invested in during 1986.
She never had children and is survived by her extended family, her 49 studio albums, and a catalogue that will outlive the servers storing it.
