We Will Always Love You
Dolly Parton Passes Away at Age 80
On Aug. 25, 2025, singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist Dolly Parton died at the age of 80, following a brief battle with cancer. She passed away at the Vandebilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee, choosing to keep the news private because she did not want her loved ones or fans to worry.
Parton built a career that reached far beyond country music. She became known as the “Queen of Country” and one of the most famous entertainers in the world, a cultural icon whose influence stretched nearly seven decades.
Born on January 19, 1946, in rural East Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children, born into a poor family in the Great Smoky Mountains. She grew up in a two-room cabin with six sisters and five brothers. Her connection to music started early, as she was influenced by her mother who sang traditional church music and folk tales throughout her childhood. Parton began writing her own songs at the age of eight when she was given her first guitar. By age ten she performed locally and later moved to Nashville in May of 1964 after graduating high school to pursue her musical career. There she met her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, and they married two years later. Though they maintained a private relationship, Parton and Dean were married for nearly 60 years until he passed away in March of 2026.
“[Parton] makes me remember to not forget about the people and community who shaped who I am today,” upper school world language teacher Joseph McCann said. “There is value in our experience and it's important to honor those who gave us the ability and confidence to represent ourselves for who we are.”
Her breakthrough came in 1967, when she joined the Porter Wagoner Show as a female vocalist and co-host. The show introduced her to a national audience and played a large role in launching her career. Eventually, after seven years on the show, Parton made the difficult decision to leave in hopes of starting her own solo career. After leaving, she wrote one of her most famous songs, “I Will Always Love You,” as a goodbye to Wagoner, her former business partner and close friend.
Parton grew to become one of the most accomplished artists in music, having written over 3,000 songs and released 49 studio albums. She had 55 top-10 hits, including “Coat of Many Colors,” “Jolene” and “9 to 5.” Making her film debut in the comedy movie “9 to 5,” she earned 11 Grammys, three Emmys, two Academy Award nominations, six Golden Globes and one Tony throughout her career. She also was recognized by organizations such as the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“You don't have to think of yourself as being good at something in order to enjoy doing it,” upper and middle school voice and dance teacher Adia Seckel said. “I think that's beautiful, that you don't have to think you're great at something in order to do it. More people need to realize that you just have to put yourself out there and want to do it.”
She was equally successful as a businesswoman, opening Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1986. The attraction started as an amusement park and turned into a part of Parton’s business empire, bringing millions of visitors to East Tennessee every year. She was also an author who wrote several books, including memoirs, children’s books and a novel.
Despite dominating numerous business and entertainment fields, one of the most important contributions of Parton’s life was her philanthropy. She founded the Dollywood Foundation in 1988, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting access to children's education. It is most known for its Imagination Library program that mails free books to children from birth to 5 years old, an effort meant to inspire a love of reading at a young age. The organization has gifted more than 330 million books to children worldwide.
“So much of today, people automatically make assumptions about the other side, we're always pitted up against each other. And the fact that you've got people on the left, you've got people on the right and they all loved Dolly,” Seckel said. “I just feel like you can be well loved and love people from different backgrounds and different belief systems and still be a good human and I feel like she embodies that.”
Dolly Parton’s death represents more than a loss of a famous musician; with her music, philanthropy and influence, she made an impact far beyond her career. Parton inspired and created many opportunities for others, which changed the entertainment industry forever.
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