Dolly Parton’s family announced her death in a video posted to her social media accounts.
The country music icon died Monday, Aug. 25, at age 80. Her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, delivered the news in a video shared across Parton’s platforms. Seaver, who served as her head of security, spoke on behalf of the family in the filmed statement.
“By her example, we believed that anything was possible,” he said in the video. “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.”
Parton’s career spanned seven decades and encompassed 49 studio albums, more than 3,000 songs composed, 11 Grammy wins and one Academy Award. Her influence extended far beyond music into film and television, where she became a beloved on-screen presence across multiple generations.
Parton made her feature film debut in “9 to 5” alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The 1980 comedy, based on an idea by Fonda, follows three working women who fantasize about overthrowing their company’s autocratic vice president. The theme song became one of Parton’s biggest hits and won two Grammy awards. The movie was adapted into a musical in 2009, with Parton composing the score and earning a Tony nomination.
“9 to 5” is available to stream on Prime Video for purchase or rental.
Parton’s next major film role came in 1982’s “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” opposite Burt Reynolds. Based on a true story, she played Miss Mona Stangely, the owner of a Texas brothel caught in a media firestorm after newspaper exposure threatened its existence. The film is available on Prime Video for purchase or rental.
In 1989’s “Steel Magnolias,” based on the play of the same name, Parton starred alongside Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts. The tearjerker follows women in a small-town Southern community coping with the death of one of their own. Viewers can stream it on Pluto TV or Paramount+.
Parton also led the 1992 rom-com “Straight Talk” opposite James Woods, playing a woman who accidentally becomes a successful Chicago radio talk show host. She wrote 10 original songs for the soundtrack and re-recorded her 1976 track “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.” The film streams on Prime Video for purchase or rental.
Her television work included three episodes of Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana” starting in 2006, where she appeared as Aunt Dolly opposite her real-life goddaughter Miley Cyrus. She reprised the role in Season 2 and Season 4.
In 2012’s “Joyful Noise,” Parton played G. G. Sparrow, the widow of a choir director fighting budget cuts alongside Queen Latifah. The film streams on Prime Video for purchase or rental.
Parton narrated but did not appear on-screen in “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors,” the made-for-TV movie detailing her Tennessee childhood and family tragedies including the death of her baby brother. It is available on Prime Video for purchase or rental.
Her final major screen role came in 2020’s “Christmas on the Square,” where she played an angel tasked with changing a wealthy woman’s mind about evicting a small town. Christine Baranski starred as the Scrooge-like Regina Fuller. The holiday film streams on Netflix and Prime Video.
Parton’s filmography reflected her ability to move between comedy, drama and music-driven storytelling across more than four decades on screen.