Country Music Legend Dolly Parton Has Died at 80

3 min read

THE RUNDOWN

• Dolly Parton has passed away at age 80, her nephew Bryan Seaver said in a statement from the family.
• He spoke about how she asked him to share the news years ago, adding, “Sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.”
• The country music legend had spoken about her health just days ago.

Country music legend, actress, and 10-time Grammy winner Dolly Parton has passed away at the age of 80. Her nephew Bryan Seaver revealed the news in a video announcement today, per her wishes. He did not disclose the cause of death or the exact time it happened. He said:

Hey everyone, my name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I am representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my Aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean. Sister, sis, Aunt Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next. This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now. It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.

Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by [her husband] Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.

I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s. Dolly opened doors, not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible. 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 was possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you.

She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever.

Dolly was a farmer, just like her Daddy. He farmed the soil, she farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.

Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly. Aunt Granny. Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you.

Four days ago, People spoke with Parton, who addressed her health issues. “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 [who passed away on March 3, 2025],” she said. “You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. 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.”

“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’! You know me—as I’ve often said—I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”