Dolly Parton has died

Dolly Parton pictured in 2022. Photograph: NBC/Katherine Bomboy/Getty Images Dolly Parton pictured in 2022. Photograph: NBC/Katherine Bomboy/Getty Images Dolly Parton, country star, actor and philanthropist, dies aged 80 Songwriter of I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5 also invested millions in child literacy, Covid-19 vaccine development and other causes Alexis Petridis on Dolly Parton’s peerless career which turned country music cliches inside out Dolly Parton – a life in pictures Country music legend Dolly Parton dies aged 80 – latest updates Share your tributes and memories of Dolly Parton Dolly Parton, one of the greatest singer-songwriters in country music who was also much cherished for her philanthropy, has died aged 80. Her death was announced by nephew Brian Seaver on Instagram. “I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” he said. “It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.” So gifted that she wrote two of the 20th century’s greatest songs – Jolene and I Will Always Love You – in a single day, Parton’s songwriting was characterised by its vivid storytelling, emotional acuity and melodic strength, all sung with strident clarity. From an eventual catalogue of hundreds of songs, she scored a record 25 US country No 1 singles and 47 albums in the country Top 10 . She crossed over into the pop charts with 9 to 5, a US No 1 in 1980; balanced her music career with acclaimed acting, twice ea…