Dolly Parton dies aged 80: A look back at the iconic life and career of a music legend

Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. The country music icon, who had been dealing with undisclosed health issues in recent months, rose from humble beginnings in Tennessee to become one of the world’s most beloved entertainers, bringing us an extraordinary catalogue of music that's transcended generations.

The heartbreaking news was revealed in an Instagram video today, on Tuesday (25 August), by Dolly’s nephew, Brian Seaver, who shared: “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.

“It is an honour, an honour 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 for her to meet them in the heavens. I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the 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 By her example we believed that anything was 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 her spirit will live 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 wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest. Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt Granny, Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you.”

Here, we look back on the icon’s incredible life and career.