Dolly Parton, one of the most groundbreaking and successful musicians in the history of country music, with a hitmaking career that spanned six decades and launched her into TV and movie stardom, has died, her family announced the news. Parton was 80.
She was a beloved global entertainment icon who sold more than 100 million records and whose songwriting prowess and sure-handed approach to her career reshaped the face of country music, popular music, and the entertainment industry.
From the 1960s on, Parton’s songs vividly captured details of her impoverished Appalachian upbringing, shared her views on love, faith, loss, and regret, and inspired and influenced future generations of songwriters and performers moved by her indomitable spirit, sparkling wit, and down-home wisdom. The most successful female country artist of all time and one of the most recognizable artists in the world, Parton wrote thousands of deeply personal and instantly relatable songs.
She wrote two of the 20th century’s greatest songs — “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” — in a single day. Parton’s songwriting was characterised by its vivid storytelling, emotional acuity and melodic strength, all sung with strident clarity. From an eventual catalogue of hundreds of songs, she scored a record 25 US country No 1 singles and 47 albums in the country Top 10. She crossed over into the pop charts with “9 to 5,” a US No 1 in 1980; balanced her music career with acclaimed acting, twice earning Golden Globe nominations for her roles; and her Imagination Library literacy scheme donated more than 150 million books to children.
Parton also acted in several films in 1980.
