Her nephew, Brian Seaver, announced her death in a video posted to Parton’s Instagram. He did not disclose a cause of death.
The announcement came four days after Parton spoke publicly about her health, saying she was still recovering from health problems but remained committed to her work.
“Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’!” Parton told PEOPLE on Aug. 21. “I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”
Parton had faced several health problems in recent years. In May, she canceled a planned Las Vegas residency and said she had been receiving treatment for kidney stones for several years. She also said her immune and digestive systems had been affected.
Born Jan. 19, 1946, in Tennessee, Parton grew up in a poor family of 12 children and began performing and writing songs as a child. She moved to Nashville after high school and released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967.
She went on to become one of country music’s biggest stars, with songs including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.” The latter became a global hit after Whitney Houston recorded it for The Bodyguard in 1992.
Parton also built a successful film career, starring in 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She won 11 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
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Away from entertainment, Parton founded the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee and established the Imagination Library, which has distributed more than 300 million free books to children. She also donated $1 million to COVID-19 vaccine research at Vanderbilt University in 2020.
Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, died in March 2025. She later spoke about the impact of his death while continuing to work despite her own health struggles.
Her final public comments reflected that determination. “I just hope I live long enough to do more things,” she said in a 2025 interview. “I wake up with new dreams all the time.”
