Dolly Parton, Beloved Country Icon, Passes Away at 80

Dolly Parton died in Nashville on Tuesday, aged 80, after what her reps called a “brief battle” with cancer.

Legendary career:

• Parton wrote more than 3,000 songs, including “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” and “9 To 5.”

• She earned 27 RIAA-certified Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum awards, scored 26 No. 1s on the US country charts, amassed 49 Top 10 country albums, and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

• She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999; the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001; and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

• Parton was also a National Medal of Arts honoree in 2005, and a Kennedy Center Honors recipient in 2006.

• Also an accomplished actress, her screen career included roles in films such as 9 to 5, Rhinestone and Steel Magnolias. Her later TV appearances included a guest role in the Grace and Frankie series finale, reuniting her with her 9 to 5 co-stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

• The musical based on her life will launch on Broadway in December.

Tributes:

• Beyoncé: “Dolly, you were the barometer. The north star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself. I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship. I’m honored that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever. Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.”

• Paul McCartney: “The magnificent star Dolly Parton has died and it is so sad. She was such a wonderful woman. I first met her in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry where she had been playing with the country star Porter Wagoner and was about to start her solo career. She was so bubbly and full of life it is difficult to take in the news that she has passed. Her songwriting, her singing and her philanthropy were unrivaled in the world of country music and it is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly.”

• Gillian Welch: “I am so sorry that all that sunshine, compassion, and towering humanity and artistry is now gone from this earth. I believe that Dolly is now one with the light that she shined all around her everywhere she went. She left us so much music and truly made the world a better place, through her art and her example. You will be so missed, but you will never be forgotten. Rest now. Nashville mourns.”