Tributes are pouring in for Dolly Parton following the country music legend’s death at 80, with friends, collaborators and admirers across entertainment remembering her as a singular artist whose warmth and generosity matched the scale of her talent.
Parton died Tuesday in Nashville after a period of health problems. Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the news on behalf of the family.
“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens,” Seaver said.
Her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died in March 2025 at 82.
Elton John called Parton “unique and irreplaceable,” writing that he was “shocked and devastated” by the news and remembering her as both “a giant of an artist” and someone with “the kindest heart.”
Priscilla Presley shared a particularly personal memory tied to one of Parton’s most famous songs, “I Will Always Love You.”
After Presley and Elvis Presley left the courthouse following their divorce, she said Elvis sang the song to her as they walked down the steps together. Years later, she shared that story with Parton.
Khloé Kardashian also posted a lengthy tribute, describing Parton as a “once-in-a-lifetime soul” whose “light, heart, talent and humanity changed this world forever.”
“There will never be another Dolly,” Kardashian wrote.
Kelly Osbourne echoed that sentiment, thanking Parton for paving the way for women “to be unapologetically themselves.”
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Dolly Parton, country music icon, dies at 80
Parton’s longtime friend Reba McEntire was among the many voices from country music honoring her. The two collaborated over the years, including on a 2021 version of Does He Love You.
Her 9 to 5 co-star Lily Tomlin kept her reaction brief, writing simply, “No words,” accompanied by a broken-heart emoji.
Dionne Warwick, Kacey Musgraves, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sarah Jessica Parker were also among those paying tribute.
Parker wrote that she had never met Parton but felt deeply connected to her. “I don’t think any of us had to know her to love her,” Parker wrote. “One of the greatest this country ever produced. Legend. For real. Forever.”
President Donald Trump ordered American flags lowered to half-staff for a week following Parton’s death. “This is a true loss for millions of people,” Trump said. “There has never been anyone like her, and never will.”
Former President Bill Clinton also remembered Parton, saying he and Hillary Clinton first saw her perform in 1974. “Dolly Parton was one of a kind — a great songwriter and performer who told the stories of everyday Americans with honesty, humility, and heart,” Clinton said.
Parton’s influence reached far beyond entertainment. Her Imagination Library literacy program has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children, and her philanthropy also supported medical research and disaster relief.
She sold more than 100 million records over the course of her career and wrote some of country music’s most enduring songs, including Jolene, Coat of Many Colors, 9 to 5, and I Will Always Love You.
Her acting career included 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She was also inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Even shortly before her death, Parton was still talking about unfinished work. “I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve,” she recently told People. “So I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”
The outpouring following her death makes clear just how many lives that work touched.
RIP, Dolly.
