Dolly Parton was very special; she was the queen of country music. She died four days after saying, “I still have so many things I want to achieve.”
Parton’s career spanned decades and included Grammy wins, film roles, and, later in life, a musical inspired by her life titled Dolly.
Parton was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in March 2025.
She wrote her first song at age five.
Dolly Parton at a press conference in Australia in 2011.
Eva Rinaldi
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, revealed the news in an Instagram video the same day:
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video. “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.”
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. 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 to meet her in the heavens.”
“I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 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,” Seaver added in the video message. “By her example, we believed that anything is 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 that her spirit lives 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 of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.”
Seaver ended his statement, saying, “Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly — Aunt, Granny, Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you.”
President Trump remembered her on Truth Social:
Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away. This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one-week period beginning tonight at 6:00 PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you. President DONALD J. TRUMP
Dolly Parton’s duet of “When I Get Where I’m Going” with Brad Paisley hits a whole lot harder now that she’s gone.
When I get where I’m going
and I see my Maker’s face
I’ll stand forever in the light
of His amazing grace.When get where I’m going
there’ll be only happy… pic.twitter.com/hGMT6Exo3X— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 25, 2026