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Legendary country singer and cultural icon Dolly Parton has died at 80, according to Parton's family.
Her nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, shared the tragic news via an Instagram video posted on August 25.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly," said Seaver, going on: "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.”
Later in the two-minute video, Seaver shared his own fond memories growing up with his aunt: “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 also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent."
"My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever. Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy; he farmed the soil, she farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.”
Seaver ended his video, nodding to one of Parton's most iconic songs. “Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly — Aunt, Granny, Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you.”
No cause of death was provided, though worries about her health have persisted after she postponed and then canceled a residency in Las Vegas last year.
In May, after cancelling her residency, Parton shared further specifics about her health, via an Instagram video, saying: "I’ve always had problems with my kidney stones. Lord, they dig more stones out of me a year than the rock quarry in Rockwood, Tennessee. But seriously, my immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past couple, three years, and they’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those. And hopefully, I’ll be up to snuff again soon.”
On August 21, Parton was candid about her health when speaking with PEOPLE. "I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” Parton shared four days ago in reference to her late husband, Car Dean, who died this March.
"I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’!" she also shared. "You know me — as I’ve often said — I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”
Parton has had one of the most storied and beloved careers in the history of American music. She is the best-selling female country music artist of all time, selling more than 160 million albums worldwide. She's recorded such essential hits as “I Will Always Love You,” “9 to 5,” and “Jolene.”
In addition to her music, she owned the Dollywood amusement park in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee — an economic engine for her home region. She was also well known for her work in philanthropy, such as the Imagination Library, which sends one book monthly to children from birth until they begin primary school. She also made news by helping to fund Moderna's COVID vaccine research.
Rest in peace, Dolly.
