Dolly Parton has died at 80, her family has just announced. The death of the country music singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist whose career spanned more than six decades, was reported by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, in an Instagram video.
Parton was one of music's most endearing artists, with a career spanning six decades. Her best-known songs included “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” later turned into a worldwide hit by Whitney Houston. She has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and written over 3,000 songs and is widely-regarded as the Queen of Country.
Her passing was announced by Seaver, representing the Parton family, in the Insta post entitled "A message from the family of Dolly Parton".
Born into a poor family in rural Tennessee in 1946, Parton moved to Nashville after high school and became one of country music’s most successful performers. The singer was also a accomplished business woman, and was armed with a personality that enabled her to ride through a career in show business that spanned over 60 years.
Parton has won 11 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her soaring vibrato vocals, poignant song-writing and sparkling costumes defined her rise from humble beginnings in Tennessee to the height of stardom and acclaim.
A cause of death has not been immediately announced.
Below is her family’s announcement of her death in full, delivered today by Seaver.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven’t truly felt it until now. It is an honor, an honor mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” he said.
“But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. 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 for her to meet them in the heavens. I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the 1980s. Dolly opened doors, not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible. Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent.
“By her example, we believed that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn't open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family, whether you liked it or not.
“Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever. Dolly was a farmer, just like her Daddy. He farmed the soil; she farmed songs and happiness.
“Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest. Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly. Aunt Granny. Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you.”
RIP Dolly from all of us at Ireland's Classic Hits Radio.
