Event: Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton was around six when she wrote her first song: “Little Tiny Tasseltop,” an ode to her corncob doll with corn-silk hair. Her mother stored it preciously in a shoebox.“I loved that little doll,” Parton wrote decades later. “I expressed myself and my feelings through writing — I’m sure what I was thinking was, ‘Well, Tasseltop has to have a song about her.’”Parton never stopped making music after ​that. The irrepressible country music singer, songwriter and actress whose charisma, heartfelt lyrics and business acumen captured the public’s imagination for nearly six decades died on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) aged 80, her family said in a statement.No cause of death was disclosed, but Parton’s publicist said ‌she died peacefully in Nashville. People magazine reported the star fought a “brief battle with cancer,” citing her representatives. Days earlier, Parton told the magazine she was dealing with unspecified health issues ​but planned to keep working. “By her example, we believed anything was possible,” her nephew, Bryan Seaver, said in a video message. “She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she ⁠opened made and changed history.” With classic songs including “Coat of Many Colours,” “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” Parton became one of the best-selling female artists of all time, with over 100 million records sold. She won 11 Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Empire State Building is lit pink in tribute to Dolly Parton after the announcement of her death at age 80 in New York City on August 25, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters Parton’s wholesome personality, combined with her towering blond hairdos, flamboyant costumes and giddy delight at holding center stage, endeared her to Americans of all backgrounds and helped introduce country music to international audiences.Over the years Parton hosted a…

Dolly Parton. File. | Photo Credit: AP U.S. country music legend Dolly Parton, who grew up poor in Tennessee and became a household name with hits like “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors,” has died at age 80, her family said on Tuesday (August 25, 2026).“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” her nephew said in a video on social media.He said the multiple award-winning artist had “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life.”The family did not give a cause of death but the singer had spoken about her recent ill health. Her husband Carl Dean died last year.In May, Parton had announced the cancellation of a series of Las Vegas concerts, citing ongoing health concerns. In videos posted to her social media accounts she said that while treatment for an unspecified illness was going well, she was not ready to be performing on stage.Parton was prolific in a career spanning six decades during which she penned some 3,000 tunes, including the iconic ballad “I Will Always Love You,” which became an international smash for Whitney Houston.Releasing 49 studio albums and more than 100 compilation and collaboration albums, she earned the title of “queen of country music.”“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,” her nephew Bryan Seaver said. Published - August 25, 2026 11:53 pm IST