9 to 5, then forever: Dolly Parton’s Era will never end

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Dolly Parton was around six when she wrote her first song: “Little Tiny Tasseltop,” an ode to her corncob doll with corn-silk hair. Her mother stored it preciously in a shoebox.

“I loved that little doll,” Parton wrote decades later. “I expressed myself and my feelings through writing — I’m sure what I was thinking was, ‘Well, Tasseltop has to have a song about her.’”

Parton never stopped making music after ​that. The irrepressible country music singer, songwriter and actress whose charisma, heartfelt lyrics and business acumen captured the public’s imagination for nearly six decades died on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) aged 80, her family said in a statement.

No cause of death was disclosed, but Parton’s publicist said ‌she died peacefully in Nashville. People magazine reported the star fought a “brief battle with cancer,” citing her representatives. Days earlier, Parton told the magazine she was dealing with unspecified health issues ​but planned to keep working. “By her example, we believed anything was possible,” her nephew, Bryan Seaver, said in a video message. “She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she ⁠opened made and changed history.” With classic songs including “Coat of Many Colours,” “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” Parton became one of the best-selling female artists of all time, with over 100 million records sold. She won 11 Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Empire State Building is lit pink in tribute to Dolly Parton after the announcement of her death at age 80 in New York City on August 25, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Parton’s wholesome personality, combined with her towering blond hairdos, flamboyant costumes and giddy delight at holding center stage, endeared her to Americans of all backgrounds and helped introduce country music to international audiences.

Over the years Parton hosted a TV variety show, starred in movies, and even ‌created a theme park, Dollywood, a popular tourist spot in her home state of Tennessee — all in addition to her lauded work as a songwriter.

But the quality that gave her enduring star power was her ability to connect with people.