Arabic version: إشادات تتوالى عقب وفاة دوللي بارتون عن عمر 80 عاماً
According to The Guardian, country music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died in Nashville aged 80. Her team said she died at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones after “bravely facing a brief battle with cancer.” Her family said a small, private funeral service will be held for immediate relatives.
Parton had said in an interview published by People on 21 August that she was dealing with health issues she had not addressed while caring for her husband of almost 60 years, Carl Dean. Dean died in March 2025 aged 82. In the interview, Parton said she was still healing and working, adding that she had many things she wanted to achieve.
Born into poverty in Tennessee, Parton became a cultural figure whose work stretched across music, film, business and philanthropy. She wrote 3,000 songs, including “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” acted in major Hollywood films and developed business interests ranging from Dollywood to cosmetics, pet apparel, baking mixes and a truck stop. Her Dollywood Foundation distributes about 25 million books annually in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and Ireland. A $1m donation she made for Covid-19 research formed the basis for the eventual Moderna vaccine.
Artists, actors and public figures paid tribute, including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Dionne Warwick, Paul McCartney, Reba McEntire, Billy Ray Cyrus, Katy Perry and Pitbull. Jane Fonda, Parton’s “9 to 5” co-star, wrote that Parton would “always be with us” because she was “so present, so powerful, so generous and playful.” McEntire thanked her for the love and music she shared, while Cyrus said he would love her “with my whole heart.”
The White House lowered its flag to half-mast in Parton’s honour. Dollywood, the 165-acre Tennessee theme park co-owned by Parton, said it would remain open on 26 August in keeping with her wish that it remain a place of joy, hope and togetherness. Her musical, Dolly: A True Original Musical, remains scheduled to begin previews at New York’s St James Theatre on 7 December and open on 19 January, what would have been her 81st birthday.
