The songwriter of I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5 transcended generations, geography and politics
5-MIN READ5-MIN ListenAssociated PressPublished: 2:48am, 26 Aug 2026Updated: 2:55am, 26 Aug 2026Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died, her nephew Brian Seaver said in a video shared on her Instagram page. She was 80 years old.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered the lowering of flags across the United States for a week, calling Parton’s death a “true loss for millions of people”.
“Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away,” Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
“There has never been anyone like her, and never will.”
Known for her curvy physique, massive blonde wigs and skin-tight outfits that served her self-deprecating wit, she was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond – the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics.
She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics “Jolene”, “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You”, that totalled more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams. Parton, who plucked bejewelled banjos, guitar and dulcimers with her long fingernails during performances, was a generous philanthropist and successful businesswoman whose projects included a theme park in the Smoky Mountain foothills near her birthplace.
