Country music legend Dolly Parton dies at 80 in Nashville after cancer battle

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Country music legend Dolly Parton dies at 80 in Nashville after cancer battle
Country music legend Dolly Parton dies at 80 after brief cancer battle in Nashville
ContinuationCountry music legend Dolly Parton dies at 80: family announces death in social media video
Dolly Parton, the country music legend and cultural icon, died on Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer, her family and management confirmed. She passed away at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones, according to a statement on her official website .
Born on Jan. 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, Parton rose from poverty in the Smoky Mountains to global fame as a singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist. Her career spanned seven decades, with hits like "Jolene," "9 to 5," and "I Will Always Love You" cementing her status as a defining figure in country music .
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered flags across the country flown at half-staff for a week in her honor, calling her death "like losing a member of the family" . The Empire State Building lit its tower lights in a pink sparkle at 9:25 p.m. on Tuesday as a tribute .
Tributes poured in from fellow artists and public figures. Beyoncé described Parton as "the barometer, the North Star" in a message shared by Reuters . Jane Fonda, her co-star in the 1980 film *9 to 5*, called her "so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever" . Taylor Swift said Parton’s legacy would be "everlasting," noting her generosity and impact on countless lives .
Parton’s philanthropic work included the Imagination Library, a program providing books to children. Last month, she thanked Swift and her then-fiancé, Travis Kelce, for a $2 million donation to the initiative . Her business ventures included Dollywood, the Tennessee theme park she co-developed, which marked its 40th season in 2025 .
A private service for immediate family will be held, per her request. Parton wrote over 3,000 songs in her lifetime, with her first, "Little Tiny Tasseltop," composed at age 6 .
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