NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 28: Dolly Parton performs during "Dolly: An Original Musical" fireside chat and press conference at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on January 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)Getty ImagesDolly Parton, the iconic singer, songwriter and philathropist who recorded such timeless hits as “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You” and starred in the classic movie comedy 9 to 5 and drama Steel Magnolias, has died.Parton’s death was also announced on Instagram by her head of security and nephew, Brian Seaver, in a video message on Tuesday. She was 80. Parton’s cause of death was not revealed.“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” Seaver said in part in the message. "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.”ForbesActress Shelley Fabares, ‘Coach’ And ‘The Donna Reed Show’ Star, Dies At 82By Tim LammersSeaver also noted Parton’s support of all those she encountered over the years.“Dolly opened doors not just for me but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible," Seaver sad in the Instagram message. “Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believed that anything is possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history.”MORE FOR YOUNEW YORK, NY - CIRCA 1977: Dolly Parton circa 1977 in New York City. (Photo by Allan Tannenbaum/IMAGES/Getty Images)Getty ImagesParton’s death comes about a year and a half after the loss of Carl Dean, her husband of 58 years, on March 3, 2025. Dean was 82.Parton, who has kept the public informed of her health struggles over the past couple of years, received an honorary Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in November of 2025. Parton had to accept the award remotely from Nashville. “Beloved performer Dolly Parton exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts,” Janet Yang, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said in a press release announcing the entertainer’s honor.Dolly Parton Gave An Update On Her Health Last WeekThe always cheerful Dolly Parton gave an update on her health challenges on Friday. “As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this," Parton said in a statement (via People). "Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.”ForbesJames Lew, Actor And Stuntman On 3 John Carpenter Films, Dies At 73By Tim LammersParton also recently appeared in a video shared on Instagram by the Knoxville News Sentinel and The Tennessean to announce that she was unable to travel to the opening of a new roller coaster attraction at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.“I’m supposed to be there in person, like we planned,” Parton said in the video. “Now I’ve told you before, all my fans, that I have had a few little health issues. And sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated. And so my Nashville doctor clipped my wings, saying you ain’t traveling this week.” In May, Parton announced in an Instagram post that she was canceling a planned Las Vegas residency as she dealt with health issues.1967: Country singer Dolly Parton with her collaborator Porter Wagoner on the set of his TV show in circa 1967. Mr. Wagoner is wearing a Nudie Suit designed by Nudie Cohn of Nudie's Rodeo Tailors. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)gettyDolly Parton’s Big Break Came On ‘The Porter Wagoner Show’Born Dolly Rebecca Parton on Jan. 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tenn., Parton released her first album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967. That same year, Parton found fame as a weekly regular on The Porter Wagoner Show, which was syndicated nationally.After six years, Parton knew that she had to take the next big step in her career, which meant breaking from Wagoner. The difficult decision led Parton to write and record the ballad "I Will Always Love You" in 1973.Recalling the writing of the song for The Tennessean in 2015, Parton said, "’How am I gonna make him understand how much I appreciate everything, but that I have to go?’ So I went home and I thought, 'Well, what do you do best? You write songs.' So I sat down and I wrote this song."“I Will Always Love You,” of course, later found a new life when it was recorded nearly two decades later by Whitney Houston for the soundtrack of her 1992 blockbuster romantic music drama, The Bodyguard, in which she starred opposite Kevin Costner.Apart from her solo career, Parton teamed with fellow music legends on various projects. She recorded two hit Trio albums with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, and had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Islands in the Stream” with Kenny Rogers. The song, written by BeeGees brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, topped the chart for two weeks in August 1983.Two years before that, Parton scored her first No. 1 with 9 to 5, the title song from the classic workplace comedy in which she starred opposite Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Apart from 9 to 5 marking Parton’s feature film acting debut, it also earned the singer-songwriter her first Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Parton scored her second and last songwriting nomination for the tune “Travelin’ Thru” from the 2005 drama Transamerica.Note: This is a developing story. Please refresh this page for updates.ForbesMichael Wright, ‘The Five Heartbeats’ And ‘V’ Star, Dies At 70By Tim Lammers