Dolly Parton died Tuesday, Aug. 25, in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the news in a video posted to Parton's official social media accounts, according to USA Today. Seaver, who served as Parton's head of security for more than two decades, said she asked him years ago to deliver the message when the time came.
"But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly," he said. "Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens."
No official cause of death has been released. Fox News and NBC News reported that Parton had been dealing with health issues in recent months. In May 2026, she canceled a planned Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace, disclosing kidney stones and immune system problems. On Aug. 21, she said in a statement to People magazine that she had been dealing with health issues she "didn't pay attention to" while caring for her late husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at 82 after nearly 60 years of marriage.
President Donald Trump ordered U.S. flags lowered to half-staff nationwide for one week.
For families across the Spring area, her name meant more than just the radio — it meant their mailbox. Through the Imagination Library of Greater Houston, children from birth to age 5 have been able to receive a free book every month after registering in person at any Harris County Public Library branch, including the Barbara Bush Branch Library.
The Book Lady
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired by her father's illiteracy. The program started in her home county in East Tennessee and has since expanded to all 50 states and five countries. As of August 2026, it has gifted more than 318 million books to children worldwide, with 3.2 million kids currently registered, according to imaginationlibrary.com.
In 2020, Parton wrote on her website about the program's personal meaning: "When I got this idea to do the Imagination Library, I wanted to get Daddy involved in it. I wanted him to help me with that so he could take the pride in that and so he did. He got to live long enough to hear the kids call me the Book Lady."
Locally, the program is sponsored by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Greater Houston. Harris County Public Library offers in-person registration at any branch for children from birth to age 5. The program is free for all families.
A rhinestone life
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born Jan. 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin near Sevierville, Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children. Her father, Robert Lee Parton, could not read or write. Her mother, Avie Lee, sang traditional Appalachian ballads.
Parton graduated from Sevier County High School in 1964 and moved to Nashville the next day. Over a career spanning more than 60 years, she sold over 100 million records, won 11 Grammy Awards and wrote some of the most recognizable songs in American music: "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors," "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You," which became a global hit when Whitney Houston recorded it for the 1992 film "The Bodyguard."
She made her film debut in 1980's "9 to 5" alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and opened the Dollywood theme park near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1986.
"Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest," Seaver said.
How to honor her legacy
In lieu of flowers, the Parton family has asked that donations be made to the Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com. Spring-area families who want to sign up their children can visit any Harris County Public Library branch to register in person.
