Dolly Parton attends Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs In Symphony World Premiere at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on March 20, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. [AFP]
Dolly Parton, the American country music singer who rose from poverty in Tennessee to become a US cultural giant with hits like "Jolene" and "9 to 5," has died at 80, her family said Tuesday.
"Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus," her nephew Bryan Seaver said in a video on social media.
He said the multiple award-winning artist had "opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life."
The family did not give a cause of death, but the singer-songwriter -- also an actress, philanthropist and powerful businesswoman -- had spoken about her recent ill health. Her husband Carl Dean died last year.
Tributes quickly poured in for Parton, who won 10 Grammys and 13 Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards during her long career.
The ACM hailed her "unmistakable voice, unforgettable songs, generosity and larger-than-life spirit."
"Her music will live on, carrying her voice and her story forward for generations to come," it said.