Dolly Parton, country music star and cultural icon, dead at 80

NPR · 1:07

26,714 views · 1,354 likes · Aug 25, 2026

Dolly Parton died Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn., at the age of 80. The entertainer, businesswoman and philanthropist was a singularly beloved figure in popular culture far beyond country music, where she started her career in the late 1960s.

Throughout her life, Parton told stories of what it was like growing up with little but ingenuity and humor in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. She came …

Dolly Parton died Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn., at the age of 80. The entertainer, businesswoman and philanthropist was a singularly beloved figure in popular culture far beyond country music, where she started her career in the late 1960s.

Throughout her life, Parton told stories of what it was like growing up with little but ingenuity and humor in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. She came …

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