Celebrities have led emotional tributes to country icon Dolly Parton after her death at the age of 80.
The family of the Jolene and 9 to 5 singer confirmed her death on Tuesday, saying she’s now ‘in the arms of Jesus’.
‘This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,’ her nephew, Bryan Seaver, said.
‘Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest,’ he added.
Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker lead the tributes, writing: ‘No!!!!!! I never met @dollyparton but my gosh, did I love her. I don’t think any of us had to know her to love her. One of the greatest this country ever produced.
She added: ‘Legend. For real. Forever. And always advocating for those she knew and understood needed a champion. What a loss. But aren’t we so lucky, so fortunate for the endless gifts she shared. With the world. Godspeed and RIP. You will be terribly missed. Xxx, SJ.’
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis wrote alongside an old photo of the singer: ‘Thank you, Dolly. For all of it.’
She added alongside a photo of them together: ‘They say don’t meet your heroes. Her bravery to know that she was more than they thought she was and that she needed to break away and move on into new work and new possibilities led her to write I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, as her way of thanking and loving, but moving on.
‘She is a great example for us all.’
Singer Kacey Musgraves added: ‘Dolly. This really hurts. The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden. So glad she’s with her Carl Dean. No one talk to me today.’
In a video, Dolly Parton’s nephew announced the country singer’s death, saying: ‘My name is Brian Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean.
‘Sister, sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next.
‘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.’
Mr Seaver added: ‘It is an honour, an honour 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 to meet her in the heavens.’
Parton was hailed the Queen of Country during her remarkable music career that spanned six decades.
Earlier this year the singer announced she would not go ahead with her Las Vegas residency as she still ‘has some healing to do’.
She previously had to pull out of an appearance at her Dollywood theme park due to a kidney stone ‘causing [her] problems’.
After updating fans on her health, Dolly shared some insight into how she was feeling after the death of her husband, Carl Dean.
He died at age 82 on Monday, March 3, 2025, in Nashville, after six decades together, keeping their love away from the spotlight.
She admitted the year without him had been ‘hard’ for her, but said ‘I will always love him and I will always miss him.’