Dolly Parton Death

President Donald Trump has ordered flags lowered to half-staff across the United States for one week in honor of country music icon Dolly Parton, who has died at age 80. The directive took effect on August 25, 2026, with Trump calling Parton "one of the greatest country singers and so much more" and describing her death as a true loss for millions.

Parton's nephew announced her death in a statement posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday evening. Singer Dionne Warwick said she would miss Parton's laugh, jokes, and warmth.

Parton made her album debut in 1967 with "Hello, I'm Dolly" and became known for signature songs including "9 to 5" and "Jolene." She also wrote "I Will Always Love You," which Whitney Houston recorded in 1992. Parton had previously declined the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice, citing her husband's illness and pandemic travel concerns rather than political motives.

Dolly Parton, the country music singer and songwriter whose career spanned six decades, has died at the age of 80, her family announced Tuesday. Her nephew Bryan Seaver confirmed the death in a video posted to Parton's official Instagram account.

Parton was born in 1946 in rural Tennessee and rose from poverty to become one of the best-selling artists in history, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide. She wrote thousands of songs, including the classics "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You," and scored 25 U.S. country No. 1 singles. Her Imagination Library literacy program donated over 150 million books to children. The news comes one day after doctors imposed a travel ban on Parton, who had canceled six Las Vegas concerts and cited dehydration earlier this month.

Dolly Parton is in negotiations to let an avatar perform concerts on her behalf, the 80-year-old singer told People magazine, as she canceled six scheduled shows at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Parton, who has sold more than 100 million albums, said she had taken care of everything except herself regarding her health. She missed the Aug. 14 opening of Dollywood's NightFlight Expedition ride on medical advice.

Her team is working with avatar-performance companies to develop new ways of delivering her music. Parton also announced the upcoming Life of Many Colors Museum in Nashville, billed as the world's largest exhibition about her life, housed in a former downtown office building.

Additional ventures include a dog treat line with Purina and Cup of Ambition Coffee with Community Coffee, available from September. The SongTeller Hotel, adjacent to the museum, is set to open the same month. Parton's husband, Carl Thomas Dean, died in March 2025 at age 82.