Dolly Parton's life in pictures over decades-long career after death aged 80
Dolly Parton had a decades-spanning career which saw her accomplish so much in the worlds of music, film and philanthropy (Image: PA/PA Wire)
Country singer Dolly Parton has passed away aged 80, it has been confirmed by her family.
Known for hits such as 9 to 5 and Jolene, Dolly was popular with fans all over the world during her decades-long career.
Outside of her singing, Parton appeared in several films, including 9 to 5, Rhinestone, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk.
She was also involved in philanthropic efforts, as she founded the non-profit Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to help improve educational outcomes among children.
God bless Dolly Parton and peace and love to all the family, peace and love Ringo and Barbara xx pic.twitter.com/whVRCGCk2R
— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) August 26, 2026
The life of Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in 1946, the fourth of 12 children, into a poor farming family who lived in a one-bedroom cabin in Tennessee.
From the age of six, she sang in the local church where her grandfather was the pastor, and was performing on her local TV station by the time she was a teenager.
In 1959, when she was 13 years old, Parton performed with Uncle Bill at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville—a live broadcast that is regarded as country music's biggest stage.
She was introduced by Johnny Cash and received three encores.
During her teenage years, Parton began to model herself on a local character who was known as the “town tramp.”
The lady wore bright red nail polish, low-cut tops, and high heels—young Dolly thought she was beautiful.
After graduating from high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville to launch her singing career and met her future husband, Carl Dean, on her very first day.
They married two years later and remained together until his death in 2025.
In Nashville, Parton's singing caught the eye of country performer Porter Wagoner, who hired her to perform on his television programme.
Over the next seven years, the pair became one of country music's most popular duos, releasing so many duets that many fans assumed they were a couple.
But their relationship was a complicated one, and as Parton's solo career started to rise, so did tensions behind the scenes.
Writing in her book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, Parton said Wagoner saw her success away from his show as a "threat."
Despite being unable to read sheet music, Parton played several instruments including the banjo, harp, piano, and saxophone.
She had her first number one hit—and first Grammy nomination—with the song Joshua in 1971 and finally left The Porter Wagoner Show in 1974 to concentrate on her solo career.
To say goodbye to him, she wrote I Will Always Love You, a song that many think is about two lovers parting ways.
Another of her most famous songs was released in 1974—Jolene.
In the years to come, Dolly Parton's success only grew, with more hits, nominations, and awards—she won her first Grammy in 1978 for Here You Come Again.
It was the theme song that Dolly Parton wrote for the 1980 movie 9 to 5 that fully propelled her to stardom.
One of Parton's most famous hits was the song 9 to 5, which featured in the film of the same name which she starred in
(Image: 20th Century Fox/YouTube)
Actress Jane Fonda, who produced and starred in the film about women being discriminated against in the workplace, made a deal with Parton—she'd star in the film if she could also write the theme song.
Fonda said she realised immediately that it wasn't just a theme song, but an anthem.
The film was a big success at the box office, and the song won several awards, including a Golden Globe.
In 1986, she opened her Dollywood amusement park in the foothills of her beloved Smoky Mountains.
Parton opened up the Dollywood amusement park back in 1986
(Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
As well as rollercoasters, it is home to the largest sanctuary for non-releasable bald eagles in the world.
Despite her wealth and success, Parton remained humble and supported the communities where she grew up.
Inspired by her father, who couldn’t read or write, she launched the Imagination Library in 1999, which gave free books to children in Tennessee.
Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1999, which gave free books to children in Tennessee, before it expanded to other countries
(Image: Rui Vieira/PA Wire)
It has since expanded to Australia, the UK, Ireland and Canada, sending out millions of free books every year.
Her non-profit organisation, The Dollywood Foundation, has funded scholarships, hospitals and donated to flood and wildfire victims.
In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic gripped the world, Parton donated $1m (£716,000) to the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, which helped to fund the Moderna vaccine.
In later years, Parton had to postpone or cancel several shows for health treatmen
(Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
In later years, Parton had to postpone or cancel several shows for health treatment.
In May 2026, she postponed an upcoming Las Vegas residency because of treatment for kidney stones, saying it would take some time to heal and be "stage-performance ready".
Parton said she hoped to be remembered for her songwriting and as somebody who took her work seriously, but not herself.
What's your favourite Dolly Parton song? Let us know in the comments.