Dolly Parton, the legendary US country music singer and songwriter known for hits including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” has died at the age of 80.
Parton’s family announced her death in a video posted on her Instagram page on Tuesday.
“I am representing the Parton and Owen family today to announce the passing of my aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton,” her nephew, Bryan Seaver, said in the video.
The family did not disclose the cause of her death.
However, Parton had in May cancelled a series of Las Vegas concerts due to ongoing health concerns.
In her final Instagram video, the singer said treatment for an unspecified illness was progressing well.
Parton, widely regarded as the “Queen of Country Music,” enjoyed a career spanning more than six decades and sold over 100 million records worldwide.
She wrote at least 3,000 songs, including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You.”
“I Will Always Love You” gained further international popularity after US singer Whitney Houston recorded her version of the song in 1992.
Parton was the fourth of 12 children born into a poor farming family that lived in a one-bedroom cabin in rural Tennessee.
She was influenced musically by her mother’s folk songs and her aunt, who played the guitar and wrote songs.
Parton began singing at the age of six at a local church where her grandfather served as pastor.
