Dolly Parton, one of the most celebrated stars in the history of country music, has died at the age of 80. According to Sky News, her passing was announced through a video statement by Rebecca Parton Dean, who represented the Parton and Owens family and had served as Dolly Parton's head of security for more than two decades, a role her father Larry had held before her.
Sky News reported that Parton's career spanned six decades and made her the most decorated country music star of her era. She recorded 26 number ones and sold more than 100 million records, with songs such as Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You becoming known far beyond country audiences and across several generations of listeners around the world.
Among her best known compositions is I Will Always Love You, which Sky News noted she wrote as a farewell to her mentor and manager Porter Wagner rather than to a romantic partner. Whitney Houston recorded a version of the song in the early 1990s that sold millions of copies, while Parton retained the publishing rights to the song she had written.
Tributes came from across the worlds of music and politics. Sky News reported that United States President Donald Trump described her death as a true loss for millions of people and called her one of the greatest country singers ever. He announced that he was lowering the American flag across the United States for a one week period beginning that evening at 6pm.
Fellow musician Sir Paul McCartney also paid tribute. According to Sky News, McCartney said the magnificent star Dolly Parton had died and that it was so sad, recalling that she had sung his song Let It Be. He added that her songwriting, singing and philanthropy were unrivaled in the world of country music, and thanked her for the beautiful music she gave the world.
Beyond her music, Parton was known for her philanthropy. Sky News reported that through her Imagination Library she gave away more than 200 million free books to children around the world over the years. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 and was also recognised in the Songwriters Hall of Fame for her body of work.
Parton's story began in poverty in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, where Sky News said she grew up as one of 12 children in a one room cabin. She married Carl Dean in 1966, and he died in 2025. In the family's video statement, Parton was described as having lived in the light and as being in the arms of Jesus, met by Carl and her parents.