Dolly Parton, the mountain girlwho became a worldwide icon, the legendary songwriter and philanthropist who never lost sight of her country roots, has died at 80.
Her career included 11 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, 50 albums, 44 top 10 albums, 25 No. 1 singles and more than 100 million records sold. Parton's charitable work, though, is just as big, if not a bigger part of her legacy.Follow along for live updates.
Dolly Parton funeral, service will be private
Dolly Parton’s loved ones will gather to say goodbye.
“At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family," the family said in a social media post.
"Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message atdollyparton.com.”
The family has also asked in lieu of flowers, people can “make donations to the Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com.”
Donald Trump says flags will be lowered throughout U.S.
The widely beloved Dolly Parton has died at age 80, and President Donald Trump has issued an official statement honoring the late "Queen of Country Music."
Shortly after the news broke, Trump took to Truth Social to release his official statement, noting that flags around the country will be lowered to half-staff starting at 6 p.m. The White House quickly repostedTrump's post on X.
Read more from Peter Burditt.
As an actress, Dolly Parton showed she was much more than a singer
Dolly Parton wore a pink satin blouse with a matching vest, bedazzled with rhinestones, on the night everybody fell in love with her.
It was Jan. 19, 1977, when the curtains opened and Johnny Carson introduced her for the first of her 25 appearances on his show. She sang the Jackie Wilson song "Higher and Higher," then took a seat on The Tonight Show's set.
Her personality transcended country music, as she showed on that first Carson gig. So she became an almost ubiquitous figure on television and in movies. The Internet Movie Database lists 153 Dolly appearances in TV and film, without counting talk shows.
Read more here from Keith Sharon.
Dolly Parton, the small-town girl with an enormous impact
Known as the "Queen of Country,"Parton's rags-to-riches story began on Jan. 19, 1946, when she was born the fourth of 12 children to stay-at-home mom Avie Lee Caroline and Robert Lee Parton Sr., an illiterate sharecropper and tobacco farmer.
The family lived in a one-bedroom cabin with no electricity deep in the mountains of Locust Ridge, near Sevierville, where Parton would sometimes lay on the grass, stare at the airplanes flying overhead and dream of someday reaching those heights.
Read more here from Paul Skribina.
Children's health, vaccine research central to Dolly Parton's impact
When the COVID-19 pandemic upended lives around the world, country music legend Dolly Parton found her own way to lead in a crisis.
Her $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help expedite development of the Moderna vaccine gained international recognition. A Guardian correspondent even suggested naming the shot, "The Dolly."
Parton didn't stop there. Photographers captured her on March 2, 2021, donning a face mask and getting the vaccine in apublic show of trust.
Read more from Beth Warren.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton dies at 80. Latest updates as world remembers Queen of Country
