Dolly Parton, who rose from a loving if impoverished upbringing in the mountains of East Tennessee to become a Hollywood star and a beloved American icon, has died, her family announced Tuesday.

Dolly Pardon, was an American musician, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman. Dubbed the "Queen of Country", she was one of the most-honored female country performers in history. Parton received various accolades, including eleven Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, along with nominations for two Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.

Parton wrote her first song at the age of six, began performing regularly on TV 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, her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, was released in 1967, beginning a career spanning nearly 60 years and 50 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).

With estimated sales exceeding 100 million records, Parton was 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. See full story...