Dolly Parton: US lowers flags for one week

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Country music icon Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, according to multiple reports, including The Independent, The Guardian and Sky News.

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Parton’s death was reportedly announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, on Instagram on Tuesday.

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“I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.

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“It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” Seaver said.

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In her honour, United States President Donald Trump ordered American flags across the country to be lowered for one week.

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Trump described her death as a “true loss for millions of people.”

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Parton, who rose from humble beginnings in Tennessee to become one of country music’s most celebrated singer-songwriters, had a career spanning more than six decades.

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She sold more than 100 million records globally and became known as the “Queen of Country”, with hits including “Jolene”, “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You”.

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Parton wrote more than 3,000 songs and won 11 Grammy Awards. She was also a successful actor, appearing in films including 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Joyful Noise.

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Born on January 19, 1946, in a two-room log cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children.

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Her father was an illiterate sharecropper who later worked his way up to owning a small tobacco farm.

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Parton described her family as “dirt poor” but credited her mother with passing on her love and knowledge of traditional folk ballads and her father for his work ethic.

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Parton began performing as a child. By the age of 13, she had appeared on local radio and television in East Tennessee, performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and recorded her first single, “Puppy Love”.

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After graduating from high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville the following day and began establishing herself as a songwriter.

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She released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967, the same year she joined the weekly television programme The Porter Wagoner Show. Wagoner, an established country star, mentored Parton, and the pair released a series of successful albums as a duo.

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In 1973, Parton decided to concentrate on her solo career and wrote “I Will Always Love You” about their professional separation. The song became a hit for Parton and was later famously recorded by Whitney Houston for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.

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Parton also wrote “Jolene”, one of her signature songs, around the same period. Both songs were included on her 1974 album Jolene, which helped introduce her to a wider audience beyond country music.

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Her 1977 album, Here You Come Again, became her first to sell a million copies and earned her first Grammy Award after almost a decade of nominations.

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In 1980, Parton made her acting debut alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the workplace comedy 9 to 5. She also wrote and performed the film’s theme song, which became a number one hit and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

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The film’s success helped launch Parton’s acting career, with roles in films including The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), Steel Magnolias (1989) and Joyful Noise (2012).

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Parton also built a business empire that included television specials, food products and Dollywood, the Tennessee theme park she acquired an interest in and renamed in 1986.

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Beyond music and acting, she was known for her philanthropy, particularly through the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, which promotes childhood literacy.

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She also supported medical research, disaster relief and other charitable causes, including donating $1 million towards COVID-19 vaccine research.

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In 2022, she was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

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“I just give from my heart. I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m gonna do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will,” she said at the time.

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Parton’s health concerns became public in September 2025 when she postponed her Las Vegas residency. In recent weeks, she had also withdrawn from public appearances amid ongoing health issues.

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Parton’s death comes months after the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at the age of 82.

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The couple married in 1966.

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In a post on his Truth Social account on Tuesday, which was also shared by the White House on its X handle, Trump wrote: “Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away. This is a true loss for millions of people.

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“There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honour, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for one week beginning tonight at 6:00 PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

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