Overview
- Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death in an Instagram video on Tuesday and representatives said Parton died at Vanderbilt‑Ingram Cancer Center after a brief battle with cancer.
- Parton built a six‑decade career as a singer‑songwriter who wrote about 3,000 songs and sold more than 100 million records, leaving a large catalogue of hits such as "Jolene," "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You."
- Her Imagination Library has mailed more than 304 million books worldwide, and the family asked that remembrances be made to that literacy program rather than sent as flowers.
- Parton also funded medical research, including a US$1 million gift to Vanderbilt in March 2020 that Vanderbilt researchers say supported early work later cited in Moderna’s vaccine trial publications.
- Public tributes poured in from artists and officials, landmarks were lit in her honor, and near‑term questions now focus on how Dollywood, her charitable programs and personal archives will be stewarded moving forward, including a reported Dollywood time capsule with an unreleased final song slated to open in 2046.