Music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, days after revealing that she had been dealing with undisclosed health issues at home.<\/p>\n
Parton \u2014 whose husband, Carl Dean, died in March 2025 \u2014 passed away \u201cpeacefully\u201d on Aug. 25 in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, where the couple lived for decades, having met there when the singer was just a teenager.<\/p>\n
The singer is understood to have been undergoing health treatments at her longtime home in Nashville, where she lived since the age of 18 \u2014 having moved to the city from a tiny town near the Great Smoky Mountains, Realtor<\/a> reports. <\/p>\n The Jolene singer and her husband maintained a very private life. While the country music sensation became a global phenomenon, her husband, a former asphalt paver, preferred to stay away from the spotlight, holding down the fort at home while she travelled the world.<\/p>\n The couple met on the same day that the singer moved to Nashville, when they bumped into each other outside of the Wishy Washy Laundromat, according to the Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n Two years later, the couple tied the knot in a heartfelt ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia, and opted to stay out of the spotlight. They lived the entirety of their marriage in their ultraprivate Nashville home.<\/p>\n The couple spent their days in the five-bathroom home on 63 acres, informally known as Willow Lake Plantation. During their many years living there, they made thoughtful updates to the property, including the addition of new barns and other structures.<\/p>\n MORE: Gervais forced to marry lover over cash blow<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n \u2018Just not fun\u2019: 90s star\u2019s sad confession at 72<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n DWTS judge quits US for shock job in Aus <\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, days after revealing that she had been dealing with undisclosed health issues at home. Picture: Jeffrey Vest\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Over the years, the couple owned multiple homes together \u2014 including several under-the-radar properties in California, which they appear to have used as private retreats where they would go when they needed time away from the spotlight.<\/p>\n Among the more unique dwellings they previously owned were a cabin in Idyllwild and a petite abode in Solvang that came with its own windmill.<\/p>\n The impressive property portfolio that the duo quietly built throughout their marriage was a world away from the very humble upbringing that Parton had in Pittman Center, Tennessee, where she was raised with 11 siblings.<\/p>\n In previous interviews, Parton opened up about the difficult circumstances her family faced. She admitted in 1977 that, while she and her siblings \u201cnever actually starved,\u201d they found themselves with not \u201cquite enough to eat\u201d on several occasions.<\/p>\n However, it was clear from a very early age that the future country music icon had a talent for singing, something that she began to display when she was just 6 and singing at her grandfather\u2019s church. Parton started writing her own music not long after.<\/p>\n She made the move to Nashville shortly after her high school graduation and later revealed her gratitude that her talents had enabled her to get out of her small town and into the big wide world.<\/p>\n \u201cMy songs got me out of the mountains and took me everywhere I\u2019ve wanted to go,\u201d she shared in a 2012 interview with People.<\/p>\n Parton won an incredible 11 Grammy Awards, 54 Grammy nominations, 10 Country Music Association Awards, and four American Music Awards. She also expanded her talents to the big screen, appearing in several movies, including \u201cSteel Magnolias\u201d and \u201cRhinestone.\u201d<\/p>\n Through it all, she remained incredibly committed to Tennessee \u2014 and to bettering the lives of those living in her home state. She regularly worked with local charities on a number of different initiatives, including the founding of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which has donated more than 300 million free books to children around the world.<\/p>\n In 1986, she opened her own theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to give back to the community that helped to launch her career by providing jobs for locals. She then established The Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to provide scholarships to students so they could remain in school.<\/p>\n Parton is understood to have been undergoing health treatments at her longtime home in Nashville, where she lived since the age of 18 \u2014 having moved to the city from a tiny town near the Great Smoky Mountains. Picture: Google Earth<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The news of Parton\u2019s death was shared in an Instagram post<\/a> on her personal account by her nephew Bryan Seaver.<\/p>\n \u201cMy name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I\u2019m 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis 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\u2019t truly felt it til now.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cDolly 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Seaver went on to praise his aunt as someone who \u201clived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others.\u201d He did not share a cause of death.<\/p>\n \u201cA rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family,\u201d an obituary shared with Realtor.com\u00ae reads.<\/p>\n \u201cDolly Parton\u2019s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.<\/p>\n \u201cHer songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.\u201d<\/p>\n Parton explained to People magazine that she was dealing with some health issues that she had neglected while she was caring for her husband in his final months. Picture: dollyparton\/Instagram<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The news of her death comes just days after Parton opened up to People magazine in an Aug. 21 interview about her ongoing health issues. She told the outlet that she had failed to \u201cpay attention\u201d to her symptoms while she was busy caring for Dean in his final months.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I\u2019ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn\u2019t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,\u201d she shared. \u201cYou know, this isn\u2019t the first time I\u2019ve had to manage something like this.<\/p>\n \u201cBack in the early \u201980s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time, too, so it\u2019s not like I haven\u2019t been through hard times with my health.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Parton attempted to reassure fans about her health struggles, insisting that things shared on social media were not necessarily an accurate reflection of the reality she was dealing with.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think because we live in a 24\/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn\u2019t years ago,\u201d she said. \u201cI used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I\u2019m the Queen of Social Media AI!<\/p>\n \u201cSeriously, though, even though I\u2019m still healin\u2019, I\u2019m still workin\u2019! You know me \u2014 as I\u2019ve often said \u2014 I\u2019ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I\u2019m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.\u201d<\/p>\n Parton was born and raised near the Big Smoky Mountains in Tennessee alongside 11 siblings. Picture: NBC via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Concerns about Parton\u2019s health were first raised in 2025 after she postponed her Las Vegas residency. However, she was quick to insist in a video shared on Instagram that fans shouldn\u2019t worry about her wellbeing.<\/p>\n In the video, the singer said, \u201cI know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. I ain\u2019t dead yet! Do I look sick to you? I\u2019m working hard here!\u201d<\/p>\n She noted that she wanted to \u201cput everybody\u2019s mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned,\u201d and while she had been dealing with \u201csome problems\u201d and has to undergo \u201csome treatments,\u201d she was \u201cok.\u201d<\/p>\n The music legend then announced in May 2026 that she had been struggling with kidney stones, explaining that her immune system \u201cgot all out of whack\u201d while she was looking after Dean.<\/p>\n \u201cLord, they dig more stones out of me a year than the rock quarry in Rockwood, Tennessee,\u201d she said, while announcing the official cancellation of her Las Vegas shows.<\/p>\n \u201cBut seriously, my immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past couple three years, and they\u2019re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those and hopefully I\u2019ll be up to snuff again soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Tributes to Parton poured in from around the world, with several Hollywood stars speaking out to express their heartbreak at her passing, including Kacey Musgraves, Khloe Kardashian, and Maren Morris.<\/p>\n Parts of this story first appeared in Realtor<\/a> and was republished with permission.<\/i><\/p>\n MORE: <\/b>Hugh Jackman lover\u2019s $3.5k-a-night cash grab<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n King\u2019s shock act after Harry eviction fallout<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m not sorry\u2019: Corey Worthington\u2019s life at 35<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>\n
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