Dolly Parton

Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean (née Parton; January 19, 1946 – August 25, 2026) was an American singer-songwriter, actress, and businesswoman dubbed the "Queen of Country". One of the most honored country performers in history, she won eleven Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, two Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. She was also known for her cultural influence and philanthropy through Dollywood and the Dollywood Foundation. Parton wrote her first song at the age of six, began performing regularly on television at the age of ten, and made her first recording at the age of 11. She became a professional songwriter at the age of 16 and, after writing hits for other artists, she released her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, (1967), beginning a career spanning nearly 60 years and 49 studio albums. Parton composed more than 3,000 songs, including "I Will Always Love You" (a two-time U.S. country chart-topper and an international hit for Whitney Houston that sold 40 million copies worldwide), "Jolene", "Coat of Many Colors", and "9 to 5". As an actress, she starred in 9 to 5 (1980) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), earning Golden Globe nominations for both, as well as Rhinestone (1984), Steel Magnolias (1989), Straight Talk (1992), and Joyful Noise (2012). On television, she portrayed Aunt Dolly in the teen sitcom Hannah Montana (2006–2010), hosted Saturday Night Live in 1989 and guest starred in Reba (2005) and Grace and Frankie (2022). She starred in and produced the Netflix musical film Christmas on the Square (2021) which earned her the Primetime Emmy Award. On stage, she wrote the score for the Broadway musical 9 to 5 (2009) for which she was nominated for the Tony Award. Her life will be depicted in the Broadway musical Dolly: A True Original Musical starting in December 2026. With estimated sales exceeding 100 million records, Parton is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Her music includes Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards. Twenty-five of her singles reached number one on the Billboard country music charts, tied with Reba McEntire for the most by a female artist. She had 44 career top-10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over 40 years. Her 49th and final solo studio album, Rockstar (2023), became her highest-charting Billboard 200 album, peaking at number three. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 2004, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2006, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2025.