Dolly Parton, one of the most legendary artists in country music history, has died at the age of 80.
READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Dolly Parton: “I take care of business”.
The news was confirmed by her family today (August 25), who wrote: “A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth and kindness that made us all feel like family.”.
Parton had spoken publicly about her health in recent months, and in an update shared last week, she said she was dealing with issues she had neglected while caring for her husband of 58 years Carl Dean before his death last year.
The singer, songwriter and actor – who was recently named among the most popular public figures in America – was forced to cancel an upcoming Vegas residency in May.
She had initially postponed the run of shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in October, saying at the time that she had been facing several ”health challenges” and would not be able to complete rehearsals in time.
Born Dolly Rebecca Parton in Locust Ridge, Tennessee on January 19, 1946, Parton was one of 12 children as was raised in poverty in the Great Smoky Mountains.
She began performing as a child in her grandfather’s church, and she was singing on local radio by the age of 10, recording her first single ‘Puppy Love’ at the age of 13.
She later moved to Nashville in 1964, quickly gaining recognition as a songwriter with hits such as ‘Put It Off Until Tomorrow’. Her debut album ‘Hello, I’m Dolly’ came out in 1967.
Parton gained wider recognition when she became a regular on Porter Wagoner’s musical variety show in the late ’60s, and her career took off with hits in the ’70s, including ‘Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You’, later covered by Whitney Houston.
She was also a celebrated actor, appearing in the 1980 comedy 9 To 5, the title song of which became another of her most enduring hits, and she later starred in The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Rhinestone and Steel Magnolias.
She came to be known as the ‘Queen Of Country’, and won 11 Grammys, three Emmys and received two Oscar nominations for her work.
She released a total of 50 solo albums and wrote thousands of songs, selling over 100million records. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2022.
She continued touring in recent years, playing a memorable legends’ slot at Glastonbury in 2014, a set to what organiser Emily Eavis later described as the largest crowd she had ever seen at Worthy Farm.
Parton founded the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee in 1986 and established the Imagination Library in 1995, which distributes free books to young children around the US.
Just days ago, Parton said she and her team had been collaborating with companies who create “avatar performances”, although she said the ideas they were working on were still in the “early stages of development”.
She married Carl Dean in May 1966, and shortly after his passing last year, she shared the tribute song ‘If You Hadn’t Been There’, writing that her husband would “always be the star of my life story”.
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