Dolly Parton was an American singer-songwriter and actor born on January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee. She wrote some 3,000 songs over her career and built a catalogue that moved between country, bluegrass and pop. Her work earned her the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, the Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the Year and the American Music Award for Favorite Country Album. She died on August 25, 2026, at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer.
Key facts
- Born: 19 January 1946
- Birthplace: Pittman Center
- Died: 25 August 2026
- Place of death: Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
- Country: United States
- Occupation: country singer; singer-songwriter; actor
- Field: music composing; country music; bluegrass music; pop music
- Education: Sevier County High School
- Awards: National Medal of Arts; Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; American Music Award for Favorite Country Album; Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the Year
Early life and start in music
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean was the fourth of twelve children, born on a farm in Sevier County, Tennessee, to Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton. She attended Sevier County High School and began singing almost before she could talk. By age 10 she was already performing on local television and radio shows in nearby Knoxville.
In 1965 she signed her first record deal with Monument Records, followed by a songwriting deal with Combine Music. These two contracts gave her both a recording outlet and a steady channel for the songs she was already writing. Her career gained real momentum in 1967 when she replaced Norma Jean on The Porter Wagoner Show, giving her a national platform for her songwriting and performing.
Film and songwriting career
Parton made her film debut in the 1980 comedy 9 to 5. The performance brought her an Oscar nomination for writing the title tune along with her second and third Grammy awards. In 1984 she starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in the movie Rhinestone, extending her work from music into acting.
Among her best-known songs is “Jolene,” which she kept performing throughout her career even as she wrote thousands of other songs. A duet version of “I Will Always Love You,” recorded for The Bodyguard soundtrack, sold more than 4 million copies and returned to the top of the charts, decades after she first wrote and recorded the song herself.
Philanthropy and recognition
Parton started her Imagination Library in 1995. Vanderbilt Health recognized her financial contributions to pediatric cancer and infectious disease research, including a $1 million donation that helped create the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. In 2022 she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, adding to a list of honors that already included the National Medal of Arts and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
She was the godparent of singer Miley Cyrus, who later covered “Jolene,” one of several artists, alongside The White Stripes and Kelly Clarkson, to record their own versions of the song.
Later years and death
Parton and her husband Carl Dean were married for nearly 60 years before his death in Nashville. She later said grief took a physical toll on her health, and in September 2025 she postponed her Las Vegas residency shows, originally scheduled for December 2025, pushing them to September 2026, a date she did not live to see.
She died on August 25, 2026, at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, surrounded by loved ones, after a brief battle with cancer. Her death was confirmed in a statement from her representatives and in a video posted to social media by her nephew Bryan Seaver. In September 2026, about a month after her death, a lawsuit over her estate began, involving disputes with her nephew.
Did you know
- “Jolene” was inspired partly by a bank teller who appeared interested in Parton’s husband. (yahoo.com)
- Parton wrote around 3,000 songs over her career but never stopped performing “Jolene,” which was covered by The White Stripes, Miley Cyrus and Kelly Clarkson. (hollywoodreporter.com)
- Parton was open about cosmetic changes to her body, once revealing she spent $1 million on breast augmentations. (hellomagazine.com)
- Her driver, Jason Pirro, believed grief played a role in her death, saying she “died of a broken heart” soon after her husband Carl Thomas Dean passed, though she didn’t want people feeling sorry for her. (yahoo.com)
- The duet version of “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard soundtrack sold more than 4 million copies, topping the charts again. (laphil.com)
- Parton never shied away from a background she described as “dirt poor,” working childhood memories into Dollywood and songs like “Coat of Many Colors.” (hollywoodreporter.com)
Data sources
Data updated: 2026-11-09