Country music legend Dolly Parton dies aged 80 – latest updates

Country music icon Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, her family announced in a video posted to her X account.

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This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father, Larry, held before me. I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now. It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.

Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who served as her head of security for over two decades, shared the news with a heavy heart. "This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago," he said, reflecting on the profound sadness of the moment. He described Parton as someone who "lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus," surely to be reunited with her husband Carl and other loved ones.

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Dolly opened doors not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible. Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believed that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history.

Seaver recalled traveling with Parton in the early 1980s, noting how she opened doors not only for him and her family but for generations of aspiring artists. "By her example, we believed that anything was possible," he stated, emphasizing her role in making history through her groundbreaking career. He likened her to her farmer father, saying, "He farmed the soil; she farmed songs and happiness."

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He farmed the soil; she farmed songs and happiness.

Parton's family and her legacy team plan to diligently work to ensure her spirit endures. Seaver shared a poignant detail: Parton wished to rest in a "beautiful bed of plush cotton" after a life adorned with heavy rhinestones, finally deserving comfort and rest. He concluded with a blessing, stating, "She will always love you."

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Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.