Global music icons Celine Dion, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have paid tribute to legendary country music singer Dolly Parton, who died at the age of 80.
Parton’s family announced her death, prompting an outpouring of tributes from music stars, celebrities and fans around the world, who celebrated her remarkable career and lasting influence.
Celine Dion described Parton as a source of light and praised her kindness, generosity and distinctive voice, while thanking the late singer for the music, laughter and love she shared with generations of fans.
Taylor Swift also mourned Parton, saying a world without the country music legend did not feel possible. She praised Parton for encouraging people to embrace their individuality and for changing countless lives through her generosity.
Beyoncé, who collaborated with Parton on her 2024 country album Cowboy Carter, described the late singer as “the barometer” and “the north star.”
Beyoncé praised Parton’s talent, determination, humour, generosity and entrepreneurial spirit, adding that she was honoured to have worked with the country music icon.
Beyoncé also thanked Parton for her profound impact on the world, describing her as one of a kind whose art brought happiness to millions.
Parton rose from humble beginnings in Tennessee to become one of the most celebrated figures in country music, with a career spanning more than six decades.
Born Dolly Rebecca Parton on January 19, 1946, she was the fourth of 12 children. Her father was a sharecropper who later became a small tobacco farmer, while her mother introduced her to traditional folk music and ballads.
Parton began performing as a child and, by age 13, had appeared on local radio and television in East Tennessee. She also performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and recorded her first single, “Puppy Love.”
After graduating from high school in 1964, Parton moved to Nashville the following day to pursue a career in music and songwriting.
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She released her debut album, hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967 and joined The Porter Wagoner Show that same year. Wagoner became her mentor, and the pair recorded several successful albums together.
Parton later focused on her solo career and wrote “I Will Always Love You” following her professional separation from Wagoner in 1973. The song became a major hit for Parton before Whitney Houston’s 1992 version turned it into a global phenomenon.
She also wrote “Jolene,” another of her most celebrated songs, around the same period. Both songs appeared on her 1974 album Jolene, which helped introduce her music to audiences beyond the country genre.
In 1977, Parton released Here You Come Again, her first album to sell more than one million copies. The album also earned her first Grammy Award after several years of nominations.
Over the course of her career, Parton wrote more than 3,000 songs, sold more than 100 million records worldwide and won 11 Grammy Awards, earning her the enduring title of the “Queen of Country.”
Her career also extended into film. In 1980, she made her acting debut alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the workplace comedy 9 to 5.
Parton also wrote and performed the film’s theme song, which became a number one hit and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
She went on to appear in several successful films, including The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Joyful Noise.
Beyond entertainment, Parton became widely recognized for her philanthropy, particularly through the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, which promotes childhood literacy.
The initiative has distributed millions of free books to children, while Parton also supported education, disaster relief, medical research and economic development in her native East Tennessee.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she donated $1 million toward vaccine research. In 2022, she was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in recognition of her charitable contributions.
Parton’s death comes 16 months after the passing of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at the age of 82.
Her death marks the end of an extraordinary era, but her music, films, philanthropy and influence on generations of artists are expected to keep her legacy alive for years to come.
NAN
