WorldThe Queen of Country: Dolly Parton’s life in pictures
Parton is remembered by fans as a singular songwriting talent, a prolific artist, and shrewd, trailblazing businesswoman.
3 min read
Published 26 August 2026 10:13am
Source: SBS News
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Dolly Parton, the country music star who rose from grinding poverty in Tennessee to become a rhinestone-studded cultural icon with hits like Jolene and 9 to 5, has died at 80, her family said on Wednesday.
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on 19 January 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children who grew up dirt-poor in the family’s small shack in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Parton was more than a singer — she wrote 3,000 songs, acted in major Hollywood films and donated millions of dollars to charities in her home state and beyond.
She was also an accomplished businesswoman, with her interests spanning from her popular Dollywood theme park to cosmetics, pet apparel, baking mixes and even a truck stop.
During a prolific career that spanned six decades, Parton penned hits such as Jolene, Coat of Many Colours and the iconic ballad I Will Always Love You, which became an international success for Whitney Houston.
Never one to downplay her striking looks, Parton essentially wrote the book on how a woman can rule the airwaves in a male-dominated industry, with songs covered by everyone from Shania Twain to Sinead O’Connor.
The US singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist didn’t seem to mind being mistaken for a ditzy blonde all too eager to play up her looks, after growing up poor in rural Tennessee.
At the height of her fame, she reached number one on the pop charts, with songs like Islands in the Stream, and starred in Hollywood blockbusters 9 to 5, for which she sang the insuppressible title track, and Steel Magnolias.
She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022.
Parton initially turned down the honour, saying she felt she hadn’t earned it. She released a rock album, Rockstar, in 2023, which she called an attempt to justify the induction.
Affording her the sort of honour given to major state figures, US President Donald Trump ordered flags across the country to be lowered for a week to mark what he called a “true loss for millions of people”.
— With Agence France-Presse.
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