Dolly Parton has died after “bravely facing a brief battle with cancer,” prompting US President Donald Trump to order flags lowered nationwide in tribute to the country music icon.
The singer-songwriter was 80. She died at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, surrounded by loved ones.
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” her publicist Marcel Pariseau said in a statement.
The type of cancer has not been disclosed.
The bronze statue of late US singer-songwriter Dolly Parton surrounded by flowers and balloons
News of Parton’s death was shared on Tuesday by her nephew Bryan Seaver, who also served as the singer’s head of security.
Seaver said it was “an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness” to make the announcement, adding: “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.
“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.”
Parton’s husband Carl Dean died last year at the age of 82.
Trump ordered flags flown at half-staff across the United States in Parton’s honour until 1 September.
Writing on Truth Social, the president called her death “a true loss for millions of people,” adding: “There has never been anyone like her, and never will.”
Flowers and notes are placed near Dolly Parton’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star
Parton ranked among country music’s most successful and influential artists, celebrated for songs such as 9 To 5, I Will Always Love You, Jolene and Coat Of Many Colors.
In May, she withdrew from a widely anticipated Las Vegas residency that had been scheduled to begin in September.
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She had earlier postponed the six-date engagement at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace from December 2025 while addressing health problems.
According to a statement from Parton’s family, a small private funeral service will be held for immediate relatives at her request.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Dolly Parton was prolific in a career spanning six decades
Parton was born in 1946 in a one-room cabin in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children.
She began singing at six at her local church, where her grandfather was a pastor, and by 13 she had appeared at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
Her career gained momentum through a partnership with country star Porter Wagoner. Parton later wrote I Will Always Love You as a parting message to Wagoner when she chose to strike out on her own.
The Empire State Building lights up to honour Dolly Parton
The song surged again as a global smash after Whitney Houston recorded it for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
Across more than six decades in music, Parton sold over 100 million records worldwide and wrote thousands of songs.
Flowers are laid beside a Dolly Parton statue
Beyond recording and touring, she built a major business footprint that included the Dollywood theme park in her home state of Tennessee, and she became widely known for philanthropy.
Her Imagination Library, launched to spark a love of reading in children, has delivered hundreds of millions of free books globally, including in Ireland.
In 2020, Parton donated $1 million to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, supporting work that contributed to the development of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Source: PA, Reuters
