Country music icon Dolly Parton dies at 80; Trump orders flags at half-staff

Dolly Parton, the beloved queen of country music, has passed away at the age of 80. Her passing was announced by her nephew, Brian Sevier, who revealed she had been fighting cancer. Parton, born in poverty in Tennessee, rose to become one of America's most iconic singers and songwriters.

Her career spanned decades, marked by global hits like "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You," the latter famously covered by Whitney Houston. She also penned the soundtrack for the 1980 film "9 to 5" and collaborated with Kenny Rogers on "Islands in the Stream." With a prolific songwriting output of around 3,000 songs and over 100 million records sold, Parton garnered 11 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award.

Beyond her music, Parton was a successful actress, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She founded the "Imagination Library" program, providing free books to children, and donated $1 million to COVID-19 vaccine research. The world's first cloned mammal, a sheep named Dolly, was named in her honor.

In tribute to her immense cultural impact, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across the nation for a week, calling her "one of the greatest country singers and so much more."

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He was one of the greatest country singers and so much more.