Fans mourning Dolly Parton are being asked to honour her the way she lived, by supporting the charity work she built over decades.
Following Parton’s death at age 80, her family said people who want to pay tribute can share messages online by tagging @DollyParton on social media or leaving a note on her website. In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the literacy program that has provided hundreds of millions of free books to children.
A small, private service will be held for immediate family, according to the statement announcing that Parton died peacefully Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee.
Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in a video posted to the singer’s official online accounts. “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” he said.
As fans shared memories of Parton’s music, humour and generosity online, tributes from fellow entertainers also began to emerge.
Lily Tomlin, who starred alongside Parton in the 1980 film “9 to 5,” shared a black-and-white photo of the pair in their younger years and wrote, “No words.”
Kacey Musgraves was among the first country stars to pay tribute, writing that Parton’s death “really hurts” and that the world “feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden.”
“So glad she’s with her Carl Dean,” Musgraves added, referring to Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, who died in 2025. “No one talk to me today.” Musgraves wrote on X.
Reba McEntire thanked Parton for “all the wonderful things you did for us here on Earth.”
“There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang,” McEntire wrote on Instagram. “Thank you, Lord, for Dolly. She’s gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her.”
Maren Morris shared a throwback video of her singing with Parton and wrote, “There will never be another. @dollyparton was who we could all agree on. she was and is such a light.”
President Donald Trump requested American flags across the country be flown at half-staff for one week in her honour.
“This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience,” her family said. “Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
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