It was with great sadness that we share the news that music legend Dolly Parton has passed away at age 80.

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In addition to being a singer, songwriter, and country music legend. Dolly Parton was also an actress who starred in several movies, including Steel Magnolias and 9-5.

Parton’s nephew, Brian Seaver, announced the news on social media. In the post, Seaver said, “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.” Here’s the full video:

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Parton released her first album in 1967 and had a carerer that lasted decades. She is also the best-selling female country music artist of all time and has sold more than 160 million albums globally. She began playing guitar at the age of six and moved to Nashville after graduating from high school. She got her big break after being hired by country star Porter Wagoner to be on The Porter Wagoner Show. She then landed a record deal, and the rest is history.

The Dolly Parton Experience

Parton left the TV show in 1974 and then wrote “I will Always Love You,” which toped the country charts and then topped the pop charts when it was later covered by Whitney Houston. She started her movie career in 1980 with 9 to 5. The theme song for that film became her first Number 1 Hot 100 single. She also starrerd in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias.

©Tri-Star Pictures

When it comes to awards, Parton won an Emmy, 11 Grammys, 10 CMA awards, seven ACM awards, three American Music awards. She also received two Oscar nominations and an honorary Oscar. She’s also one of only seven female artists to win the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year Award. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

The Dolly Parton Experience at Dollywood

Parton was also a celebrated philanthropist and was heavily involved with her Imagination Library, which mails books to children every month. She was also the owner of Dollywood theme park in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Message from Parton during Nightflight Expedition event

We send our thoughts out to her friends, family, and her millions of fans all over the world who will be grieving this great loss.