Country music icon Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, according to a Facebook video by her nephew, Bryan Seaver. The video states that Parton died “peacefully” and that a private service will be held for her family.
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” her publicist, Marcel Pariseau said in a statement Tuesday.
Parton was born on Jan. 19, 1946, as the fourth of 12 children and grew up in Locust Ridge near the Great Smoky Mountains. During her music career, she went from Appalachia to Hollywood, releasing 49 albums that were consistently on pop charts, earning her 11 Grammys. Her biggest hits include “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” which she wrote after a falling-out with her mentor and collaborator Porter Wagoner and later sung by Whitney Houston.
Parton is known not only for her timeless songs, but for her philanthropy. In 1995, she created her Imagination Library, a book-donation program that provides books for children internationally. She was an advocate for literacy, education, healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights and more. Parton was loved and looked up to by many.
Launched into stardom, Dolly Parton is a household name who performed in our very own Regents Hall at NKU 49 years ago.
Found in Volume 6, No. 13 of The Northerner archives, published on Friday, November 18, 1977: “Fifteen hundred people filled Regents Hall Tuesday night for the first NKU concert held since last November,” according to Dr. James Claypool, former dean of student affairs. This is referencing the night Parton visited NKU’s campus and performed for an audience including NKU students.
Dolly Parton’s legacy will be remembered by fans around the world.
(Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
