Dolly Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80 after what her representatives called a “brief battle with cancer.” The type of cancer was not disclosed. According to her team’s statement, she was admitted to Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center on Aug. 21 and died there four days later, surrounded by loved ones.
The statement, shared with PEOPLE, remembered her generosity, from the hundreds of millions of free books sent to children through her Imagination Library to her funding for research that helped develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
How the family shared the news
Her nephew Bryan Seaver, who worked as her head of security for more than 20 years, announced her death in an Instagram video that she had asked him to record years earlier. He said the sadness belongs to those left behind, not to Dolly, and pictured her reunited with her husband, Carl Dean, and her parents.
Dean, her husband of nearly 60 years, died in March 2025. Parton often joked that the secret to their long marriage was that she was always on the road. He famously stayed out of the spotlight but was, as she put it, her biggest fan behind the scenes.
Her health in her final year
Parton had been dealing with kidney and autoimmune problems, according to reports. In 2025 she postponed her Las Vegas residency for health reasons and addressed online rumors head-on. She reminded fans she had come through hard times before and joked that she’d gone from “Queen of the Tabloids” to queen of social media AI, while promising to keep working.
A legacy like no other
- Best-selling female country artist of all time, with more than 160 million albums sold since her 1967 debut, Hello, I’m Dolly
- Songwriter of classics including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You”
- Actress in 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and more
- Philanthropist whose Imagination Library has gifted books to children in several countries
Our take
Few entertainers have been loved so widely. Parton was loved across generations and political lines, and she earned it through decades of talent, humor and quiet generosity. Her songs will last, but so will the books on children’s shelves and the lives her giving touched. Rest easy, Dolly.
