Dolly Parton Dies at 80: Artists Across Music Mourn a Country Giant
Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. Her family announced the death on Tuesday through a statement delivered by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who shared the news on Instagram. No cause of death was given WTNH; NPR confirmed the statement came from her representatives.
In a family message, the Partons noted they had endured the loss of several siblings over the years and were leaning on one another Instagram.
Parton's husband, Carl Dean, died on 3 March 2025 at the age of 82. She had married Dean in 1966; he largely stayed out of public view throughout her career. In May 2026, Parton announced she was cancelling a Las Vegas show and said she had been undergoing treatment for kidney stones NBC News.
Tributes spread quickly across social media. Kacey Musgraves wrote on X mourning Parton's death. Reba McEntire posted a carousel of images on Instagram. Sheryl Crow mourned the "hole in the universe" left without her. Mick Fleetwood shared a tribute recalling the time he met Parton. Maren Morris honoured her with an Instagram post accompanied by video of the Highwomen, the country supergroup Morris co-founded Rolling Stone.
Jack White went further: he wrote and shared a song called "Instant Sainthood" in tribute Rolling Stone.
Kristin Chenoweth, who performed a duet of "I Will Always Love You" with Parton on her 2019 album For the Girls, also paid tribute Rolling Stone.
Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You" in 1973. Whitney Houston's 1992 recording turned it into one of the best-selling singles of all time, but Parton's own version remained the foundation — a song she owned and licensed, one of many in a catalogue she controlled with unusual care for an artist of her generation.
She was an eight-time Grammy winner People. At the 2019 Grammy Awards, she was honoured with an all-star tribute featuring Katy Perry, Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris and Little Big Town, and performed alongside Miley Cyrus and others Billboard. Morris called the experience a "dream come true" Billboard.
For the artists who mourned her on Tuesday, the connections ran deep. Several had shared stages with her, recorded her songs, or cited her as a reason they entered the business. The breadth of the tributes — country stars, rock guitarists, Broadway singers — reflected a career that crossed every boundary the music industry tries to maintain.
Parton's official website, dollyparton.com, carried no announcement or statement confirming her death as of Tuesday dollyparton.com.
Her family's message asked for privacy.
