For many music fans, the fabric of the universe feels noticeably weaker following the news that country music legend Dolly Parton has died aged 80.
The American singer-songwriter-actress-philanthropist, best known for her hit songs ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘Jolene’ and ‘9 to 5’, died in Nashville, Tennessee, after a “brief battle” with cancer.
Her death comes just days after sharing a health update, following the cancellation of her Las Vegas residency and the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.
"I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn't pay attention to when I was watching over Carl," she told People. "It's not like I haven't been through hard times with my health. But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn't years ago.”
She added: "I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I'm the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I'm still healin', I’m still workin'."
