Tributes are pouring in for Dolly Parton, who passed away after a short battle with cancer on Tuesday. She was 80.
In a video message on Parton’s social media channels, delivered by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, her family paid tribute to the country icon:
“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 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. I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the 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.
“By her example, we believed that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. 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 wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest. Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly. Aunt Granny. Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you.”
Parton’s charity, The Dollywood Foundation, also issued this statement:
“Our team, our local program partners, and every operational partner who helps make this program possible each month are heartbroken at the loss of our founder, Dolly Parton.
She was always proud that her little program grew into what it is today. She was proudest of what it meant to her Dad. In her own words: ‘My Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done.’
The world grieves with us today. And yet we find ourselves just as certain about what comes next.
For decades, Dolly and the team at The Dollywood Foundation — home of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library — worked to build something that would last for generations. So it will.
The work ahead has never felt more meaningful, and we will carry it forward as she lifts us all up.
Dolly, we will always love you.”
Taylor Swift said:
“A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right. But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.
She was truly the gift that kept on giving. Dolly gave us someone to look up to while encouraging us to be who we are as individuals. Somehow she was able to give us her lessons about the world gently and honestly, simultaneously, and oftentimes hilariously. She managed to give the world the ultimate mystery and fantasy in some corners of her life, but to give full transparency in the ways that counted. Somehow she was true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person. She possessed the softest heart when it came to the struggles of others, and a backbone of steel to defend her own self worth as an artist.
Along with her other fans, I am so grateful for all of it. For the melodies and lyrics she wrote that thawed even the coldest hearts. For the millions of books she provided children all over the world so that they might fall in love with stories the way she did. For the tightropes she walked so that young girls like me could grow up dreaming of joining the circus too.
Dolly, I’ll think of you each step of the way.”
This is Beyoncé’s message in full:
“Dolly, you were the barometer. The north star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself. I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship.
“I’m honored that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever. Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.”
Country singer Shania Twain paid tribute on X, acompanied by a video of her performing Dolly’s song Coat of Many Colors:
“Dolly was pure light sent from heaven. My mentor is gone. My songwriting teacher and hero of grace and humility. There is a hole in my heart but the joy of just the thought of her smile will continue to fill me with inspiration for as long as I live. I will cherish this moment performing Coat Of Many Colors with Dolly forever. Goodbye Dolly. Rest in peace, beautiful angel.”
Musician Billy Ray Cyrus was close friends with Parton, and Parton was his daughter, Miley Cyrus’ godmother:
“I have so many moments and memories with Dolly, it’s hard to know where to start. Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. She was a part of our lives, on our TV’s, right in our living rooms.
In 1992, I’ll never forget walking into her dressing room to apologize for all the tabloid stories which claimed I was having an affair with her. In true Dolly fashion, she just looked at me, winked and said, “Honey, this trash sells records!”
“Dolly recently sent me a beautiful message, telling me she loved me with her whole heart. I will always love her in the same way … with my whole heart … and I always will.”
Sir Paul McCartney wrote on Instagram:
“I first met her in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry where she had been playing with the country star Porter Wagoner and was about to start her solo career.
“She was so bubbly and full of life it is difficult to take in the news that she has passed.
“Her songwriting, her singing and her philanthropy were unrivalled in the world of country music and it is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly.
“She was a very clever business woman who understood the value of her music and, most importantly, the effect that she had on the people of the world.
“There was no greater honour for me than to have her sing my song Let It Be and, even though I only made a small contribution to it, I am so honoured that she did it. I am so proud to have known her and admire her unique talents.
“Thanks Dolly for the beautiful music you gave me and the whole world. We will always love you, god bless and rest in peace. You were the best.”
Jane Fonda co-starred alongside Dolly Parton in the film 9 to 5 in the 1980s:
“I know that millions are mourning and I want to say this – more than anyone I have ever known, Dolly will always be with us because she was so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever.
“We have our memories of her, her songs, Dollywood, ‘9to5,’ the millions of books she got into the hands of children, all the iconic images that bring her to us. And they are all blessings.
“Let’s be grateful for all that she has left us to ease our sadness now. I never knew anyone like her. She was simultaneously a naughty, playful southern gal from the hollows of Tennessee and a deep, soulful thinker who could see through people right down to their true selves.
“She was many things… lyricist, songstress, player of many instruments, writer, prankster, visionary, loyal friend, who’d never go to bed before she and her friends had laughed so hard they’d have to cross their legs.
“She had a survivor’s instinct and seemed to always know just what to do, just what to say, to make things right…and then she’s stick her butt out the car window and moon Kenny Roger’s home. She was the voluptuous embodiment of empathy. That’s something of hers she’d want us all to take with us.”To her gay and trans fans, I want you to know that she loved you. You know that without me telling you. She loved all her fans and they are legion. And you know she doesn’t want y’all to mourn now. Dress up and celebrate her spirit. But first, watch the final episode of Grace and Frankie where she’s an Angel, the head honcho working class angel in Heaven.”
Here is country star and close friend Reba McEntire’s full statement:
“Well, I just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side. Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth.
“Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart. There will never ever be another you.
“We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang. Thank you, Lord, for Dolly. She’s gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her.
“I’ll never forget the first time I met you and I’ll never forget our last conversation. I hold it with love in my heart. I will always love you, Reba.”
At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. 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 at http://dollyparton.com
Tonight, the Empire State Building tower lights will turn to a pink sparkle at 9:25 to honor the late Dolly Parton.
Dolly was a global cultural icon whose seven-decade career reached generations of fans. Beyond entertainment, Dolly leaves a significant philanthropic legacy… pic.twitter.com/Pu5rtdfe0r
— Empire State Building Observation Deck (@EmpireStateBldg) August 25, 2026
Dolly was pure light sent from heaven. My mentor is gone. My songwriting teacher and hero of grace and humility. There is a hole in my heart but the joy of just the thought of her smile will continue to fill me with inspiration for as long as I live. I will cherish this moment… pic.twitter.com/x2noNjLgou
— Shania Twain 💎💎💎 (@ShaniaTwain) August 25, 2026
ALSO READ: Dolly Parton: A Life of Music, Kindness and Imagination
