Dolly Parton dies aged 80 after brief cancer battle, family announces

Family announcement and final days

Dolly Parton died peacefully at age 80 on Aug. 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee, her family and representatives confirmed. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the death in a video posted to her official Instagram account, speaking on behalf of the Parton and Owens families and identifying her as "Aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean." Seaver said the video announcement was something Parton had asked him to record years earlier. In a separate statement issued through her public relations team, her representatives said she died "peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee" and was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in 2025, as well as her mother, Avie Lee Caroline Owens, and her father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr.

Cause of death and hospitalization

Parton's representatives told The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the singer had been battling cancer before her death. She died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville after being hospitalized there on Aug. 21 with kidney and autoimmune issues. The type of cancer was not disclosed. In a statement to People, her team said Parton "bravely faced a brief battle with cancer" and "departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones."

Recent health disclosures

In September, Parton postponed a set of Las Vegas concerts to address "health challenges" and later said she would miss the Governors Awards, where she was to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Last week, Parton acknowledged that she had neglected her own health while caring for her late husband, telling People, "I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn't pay attention to when I was watching over Carl." Eleven days before her death, she appeared by video link for the opening of NightFlight Expedition, a new ride at her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee.

Tributes and official response

Tributes poured in from across the music world following the announcement. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered flags to fly at half-staff in Parton's honor, writing that "there has never been anyone like her, and never will." Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Eminem, Linda Ronstadt and Paul McCartney were among those publicly mourning the singer. A military band performed "9 to 5" outside Buckingham Palace in tribute.