Country Music Icon Dolly Parton Dies at 80

Dolly Parton, the country music legend behind hits like “Jolene” and “9 to 5” as well as actress, businesswoman, fashion icon , and philanthropist , died on Tuesday.

She was 80.

Her death was announced in a video featuring her nephew, Bryan Seaver, that was shared on Parton’s social media accounts.

Seaver didn’t disclose a cause of death in the video.

He said that his aunt “has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by” her loved ones, including her husband Carl Dean, who died last year , as well as her parents and “countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.” “She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history,” Seaver said.

“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.” Read More: Dolly Parton Loved Us All, Darlin' —David Gahr—Getty Images A statement shared on Parton’s social media page said Parton “died peacefully today in Nashville.” The statement referenced her decades-long legacy in both music and philanthropy.

It also said that a small, private funeral service will be held for Parton’s immediate family, per her wishes, while it encouraged fans to share tributes to Parton online.

Parton’s family also asked that, instead of flowers, people who wish to express their condolences donate to Parton’s Imagination Library , a program that mails books to children for free.

Parton founded the initiative in 1995 in her home state of Tennessee, and it has since expanded to other states and even internationally, donating hundreds of millions of books worldwide.

“I am as proud of the Imagination Library,” Parton told PBS News in 2020, “as I ever will be, anything I ever do for the rest of my life.” Health issues persist Last year, fans expressed concerns about the state of Parton’s health after she announced that she would need to postpone upcoming shows in Las Vegas, which she later canceled, because of “some health challenges” that she was dealing with.

Parton said that her doctors told her she needed to have “a few procedures,” which she didn’t elaborate on, but she sought to allay any concerns.

“Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” Parton said in a post in September.

“But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.” Amid growing online speculation over her health, Parton posted a video in October, captioned “I ain’t dead yet!” in which she said, “I know lately, everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am.