American singer and film actress Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80.

American country singer and film actress Dolly Parton has died at the age of 81. This was announced on August 25 by her nephew Brian Seaver.

"Hi everyone, my name is Brian Seaver, Cassie Parton's son, and today I am <...>..> I announce the passing of my Aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton," reads a video message posted on X (ex. Twitter).

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in the small village of Locust Ridge in the mountains of Tennessee in a very poor family with many children, where there were twelve children. From an early age, she sang in church and on local radio, and at the age of eighteen she went to Nashville to begin her professional career. There she first worked as a songwriter, and then in the late 1960s she appeared on stage in a duet with Porter Wagoner, after which she quickly gained recognition as a bright and independent performer.

Her voice and songs have become the hallmark of country music: the compositions Jolene, I Will Always Love You, 9 to 5, Coat of Many Colors and the duet Islands in the Stream with Keni Rogers have sold millions of copies and earned her many Grammy Awards. At the same time, Dolly successfully tried her hand at cinema, starring in the films "From 9 to 5" and "Steel Magnolias", and also created her own Dollywood theme park, which became one of the main tourist attractions of Tennessee.

During her professional career, Parton became the best-selling female country music artist of all time. The total number of albums sold by the singer worldwide exceeded 160 million copies.