Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80.
The country music legend’s nephew, Brian Seaver, who served as her head of security for more than two decades, announced her passing in a social media video on Tuesday.
“My name is Brian Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he said. “This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.”
In the video, he added that he felt pride and “great sadness” to fulfil her wishes.
“But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” he continued. “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by (her late husband) Carl (Dean), her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”
He also noted that Dolly had previously requested that upon her passing, she “wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest”.
The news comes just days after the music legend spoke publicly about her ongoing health struggles.
In an update shared with People, the singer revealed that she had neglected some of her health issues while caring for her husband of 58 years, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.
Despite her health problems, she said she still had “so many things” she wanted to achieve, adding that she was “gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life”.
The Jolene hitmaker released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967 and went on to become one of the biggest country music stars in history.
The hitmaker, best known for songs including 9 to 5, Coat of Many Colors, and I Will Always Love You, sold more than 100 million records globally and earned 25 number-one songs on the Billboard country charts.
Over her decades-long career, Dolly won 11 Grammys, an Emmy, 10 Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards and three American Music Awards. She also received two Academy Award nominations and an honorary Oscar and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
Dolly also enjoyed a successful film career, making her acting debut in 1980’s 9 to 5 alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. She went on to star in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Rhinestone and Steel Magnolias.
In the months before her death, she had been working on Dolly: A True Original Musical, which is set to open on Broadway in December, as well as a new museum dedicated to her life and career in Nashville.
