Hollywood Week: Remembering Dolly Parton, Queen of Country Dies, Awards, Humanitarian
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Saturday, 29 August 2026 09:27
- Written by Janet Walker
The Queen of Country, Dolly Rebecca Parton, an irrepressible powerhouse of talent, a singer, songwriter, and actress, humanitarian, and a woman of deep faith, died this week after a brief hospital stay. She was 80.
Remembering Dolly Parton
Known to the world simply as Dolly, Ms. Parton, known deeply respected the world over and known for her strength and determination, with an unquenchable wellspring of talent, a cultural icon, international superstar, and someone able to move freely between the palaces of kings and the common man, caring for the condition of both.
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As songwriter, the world has yet to see an equal. As the author of over 3000 songs, she began writing as a young child, in the hollers of Tennessee, where she was born in January 19, 1946, the fourth of 12 children. The extreme poverty coupled with her natural talent forced her to begin working at an early age. By age ten, she was on local television, and by 16 she was a professional songwriter with her first album.
Ms. Parton went on to make 49 studio albums, and wrote songs that articulated the human condition, and the emotions most common to men and women. Between 1974-1979 Dolly ascended to superstardom. With tours that brought her all over the world—Europe, Australia, and Asia—and hits that crossed over to the pop and AC charts (including her first Platinum single "Here You Come Again"), Dolly was everywhere. In 1975 and 1976 the Country Music Association named her Female Vocalist of the Year. In 1978 she was honored with the CMA for Entertainer of the Year.
Her bestselling song, "I Will Always Love You," written in the 1970s for Porter Wagoner, when she was leaving the show, after seven years, to venture out on her own was revived by Whitney Houston, for the 1992 film, "The BodyGuard, starring Kevin Costner and Ms. Houston. An often told story about the song is that Mr. Costner suggested the a cappella beginning. The song was a chart-topping hit and earned Ms. Parton more than $10 million in royalties.
Many of her other well-known songs have also been remade into the mainstream. "Jolene," about a women attempting to steal another woman's man, scored big for Ms. Parton, and again, for her God-daughter Miley Cyrus.
When Hollywood came calling, Dolly was ready. She was a super talent by then, at just over five feet talent, with a big blond bouffant hairstyle that added inches to her petite frame, an incredibly slim waistline, and an ample bust, she was perfect for the big screen.
Starring as a secretary in the 1980 film 9-to-5, who in modern language confronted sexual harassment daily, and then it was simply lured at, tolerated off-color remarks, and sexual innuendo, she paired with screen dynamos Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, opposite Dabney Coleman, to create a winning box office combination.
She also starred in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), Rhinestone (1984) Steel Magnolias, (1989), Straight Talk (1992), Joyful Noise (2012). She also had a recurring role as Aunt Dolly in Hannah Montana.
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Grammys, Emmys, Oscar and Other Accolades, Awards
Throughout her career, Ms. Parton received many awards, including 11 competitive Grammy Awards, and 54 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy of Country Music Awards, including a win for Entertainer of the Year; four People's Choice Awards; and four American Music Awards.
She also received an honorary Oscar, a competitive Primetime Emmy award, and while nominated for a Tony award for writing the music and lyrics for the production of Broadway's 9-to-5, she did not win. In life, the coveted EGOT status was about the only title denied the girl from the backwoods of Tennessee. With the treasure trove of lyrics and music, she may still add more awards to the list.
Ms. Parton's contributions to American culture were recognized in 2006 when she received a Kennedy Center Honor. In 1999, Dolly was inducted into the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame. Her undeniable mark on Country music shaped the sounds and stories we hear today.
In 2024, Billboard named Dolly the #1 Country Music Artist of All-Time. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Across her career Ms. Parton saw her music top Billboard's Hot 100, Country, Pop, Adult Contemporary, Bluegrass, Christian, Rock, and Dance charts.
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King Charles Honors
Dolly Parton was an international celebrity and sensation. Upon hearing of her death, King Charles ordered the Monarch's Royal Band to perform one of Ms. Parton's most well known songs at the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony.
"The Queen of Country received a royal tribute following her death. The day after Dolly Parton's passing, the band of the Coldstream Guards opened their medley during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace with a performance of the late singer's 1980 hit "9 to 5,"' HelloMagazine reported.
The tribute has generated more than 12 million views on Instagram.
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Humanitarian Work
Dolly Parton was known globally as a humanitarian. Even with the fame and celebrity status she gained, she always remembered her humble beginnings, and those in her beloved home state of Tennessee who were not as fortunate.
During her childhood, and she was very honest about the living conditions, her home life, and the financial struggles her family encountered, and made every effort, in her lifetime, to never forget those who may still be in need or lack.
"She became so effective at distributing her own money that the ultrawealthy asked her to distribute theirs. In 2022, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his future wife, Lauren Sanchez, gave Ms. Parton $100 million to distribute to causes of her choosing. And this summer, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce gave Ms. Parton's Imagination Library $2 million to fund the distribution of children's books," The New York Times reported.
She founded the Imagination Library, to combat literacy, providing one book a month for every child in Sevier County, Tennessee, from birth until they begin attending school. She explained this was a tribute to her father, who did not know how to read, and her effort to combat illiteracy is well-known.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms., Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt-Ingram Medical Center l in Nashville, to help develop a vaccine. Her royalties from "I Will Always Love You," was used to purchase real estate in the historically black section of Nashville and moved her offices into the area.
Her Dollywood Amusement park, opened in 1986, fashioned like a mini-Disneyland, located in Pigeon Force, Tennessee, has continued to provide additional revenue sources for local businesses and community. The park embodies the spirit of the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and after more than 40 years in business, the theme park and its affiliated businesses in East Tennessee draw more than 4 million visitors annually. Her entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to her hometown created jobs and opportunities for thousands of people in the region.
She was most known for her efforts to combat illiteracy, wildlife conservation, helping to sustain those in her local community during natural disasters, and medical research.
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"In his Instagram post dedicated to Dolly, Jeff praised the late country star for her love and kindness. "Dolly spent her whole life showing us what it means to lead with love," he wrote. "Lauren (Sánchez) and I are so grateful to have known her. She lifted everyone with her music, her generosity, and her joy. Sending our sincere condolences to her family and everyone she touched," LittleThings.com reported.
Nashville International Airport
The Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, upon hearing of Ms. Parton's death released the following statement, in which he announced plans to rename the Nashville International Airport.
"Dolly Parton's extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state," Lee said in a statement. "At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state's favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly's music, generosity, faith, and kindness," People Magazine reported.
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Health Decline
Her health began to slide after the death of her husband of 60 years, Carl Dean, passed away in March 0f 2025. In the 17 months after his death, Ms. Parton made few public appearances. It became apparent that her health was on the decline, after she announced she was unable to attend the annual Governors Award in November 2025 where she was an honoree of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award presented by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. By early 2026, the ongoing health issues forced her to completely cancel her Las Vegas residency.
Death Announcement
According to KTLAnews.com her nephew Bryan Seaver made the announcement in a video post on the singer's Facebook and Instagram accounts.
"I am representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, sister, sis, aunt Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next," he explained. "This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality, as her head of security for more than two decades-a role my father Larry held before me-I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven't truly felt it until now."
"It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. 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," he continued. "I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s. Dolly opened doors not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn't even know was possible."
Dolly Parton died August 25, 2026 in Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, where she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer. Her hospital stay was brief, lasting only four days, and she was surrounded by family and loved ones at her passing.
Ms. Parton requested a private funeral with only friends and family and will be interred at the Woodland Memorial Park in Nashville, Tennessee, buried next to her husband.
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Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.
