Trump lowered the US flag for a week to mourn country music icon Dolly Parton

Country music icon Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, according to multiple reports, including The Independent, The Guardian and Sky News.

Parton’s death was reportedly announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, on Instagram on Tuesday.

“I had imagined how heavy this moment would be but hadn’t really felt it until now.

“This is an honor, an honor mixed with tremendous pride and sadness,” Seaver said.

In his honor, United States President Donald Trump ordered American flags to be flown throughout the country for one week.

Trump described his death as a “real loss for millions of people.”

Parton, who rose from humble beginnings in Tennessee to become one of country music’s most celebrated singer-songwriters, has had a career spanning more than six decades.

She sold more than 100 million records globally and was known as the “Queen of Country,” with hits including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.”

Parton wrote more than 3,000 songs and won 11 Grammy Awards. He is also a successful actor, appearing in films including 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Joyful Noise.

Born on January 19, 1946, in a two-room log cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children.

His father was an illiterate sharecropper who later worked his way up to owning a small tobacco farm.

Parton describes her family as “very poor” but credits her mother for passing on her love and knowledge of traditional folk ballads and her father for his work ethic.

Parton started performing as a child. At age 13, she appeared on local radio and television in East Tennessee, performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and recorded her first single, “Puppy Love.”

After graduating high school in 1964, he moved to Nashville the next day and began establishing himself as a songwriter.

She released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967, the same year she joined the weekly television program The Porter Wagoner Show. Wagoner, an established country star, mentored Parton, and the pair released a series of successful albums as a duo.

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In 1973, Parton decided to concentrate on her solo career and wrote “I Will Always Love You” about their professional breakup. The song became a hit for Parton and was later famously recorded by Whitney Houston for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.

Parton also wrote “Jolene,” one of her signature songs, during the same period. Both songs were included on her 1974 album Jolene, which helped introduce her to a wider audience outside of country music.

His 1977 album, Here You Come Again, became his first album to sell one million copies and earned him his first Grammy Award after nearly a decade of nominations.

In 1980, Parton made her acting debut alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the workplace comedy 9 to 5. She also wrote and performed the film’s theme song, which became a number one hit and earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

The film’s success helped launch Parton’s acting career, with roles in films including The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), Steel Magnolias (1989) and Joyful Noise (2012).

Parton also built a business empire that included television specials, food products, and Dollywood, the Tennessee amusement park that she became interested in and renamed in 1986.

In addition to music and acting, he is known for his philanthropy, particularly through the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, which promotes childhood literacy.

He also supports medical research, disaster relief, and other charitable causes, including donating $1 million to COVID-19 vaccine research.

In 2022, he was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

“I just give from the heart. I never know what I will do or why I will do it. I just see a need and if I can fulfill it, then I will do it,” he said at the time.

Parton’s health concerns became public in September 2025 when she postponed her Las Vegas residency. In recent weeks, he has also withdrawn from public appearances amid ongoing health concerns.

Parton’s death comes months after the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at the age of 82.

The couple married in 1966.

In a post on his Truth Social account on Tuesday, which the White House also shared on its X account, Trump wrote: “It is very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and more, EVER, has just passed away. This is a real loss for millions of people.

“There has never been anyone like him, and there never will be. In his honor, I am lowering American flags across the United States for one week starting tonight at 6 p.m. Rest in peace, Dolly! The world loves you. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”