Country music legend Dolly Parton has passed away at the age of 80, according to a message shared by her family on social media, saying in part:
Sadness lies with us, but not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl (her late husband), her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.
A message from the family of Dolly Parton. pic.twitter.com/9DNRgRx0uH
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) August 25, 2026
Born in 1946, Dolly had a career for over seven decades and is perhaps best known for her hits “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” and “9 to 5.” She has sold 100 million albums, released 50 studio albums, and won 11 Grammy Awards.
Parton, who notably has been pro-LGBTQ for decades, has talked about her faith openly, but it’s rarely in a distinctly Christian way. She told the New Humanist in 2024:
“So much of who I am is based on my faith. I believed in God and I believed that through God all things were possible, and that through myself things were possible, if I hung on to my plan.
…We all need something to believe in, whether you believe in God or not, whether you call it Mother Nature or Father Time or a higher wisdom. You need to believe in yourself and you need to believe there’s a force that can push you and lead you on. I was always guided by that.
I’m very creative – what keeps me going is both spiritual and creative energy. I’m not a religious fanatic. I wouldn’t even say I’m religious, though I grew up with that background. But I have a lot of faith in myself and I’ve been so blessed to have been around great people my whole life, my Uncle Bill and my family being supportive, and all the people I met along the way.”
She likewise told Norah O’Donnell in 2023:
“Oh, I live my spirituality. You know, that’s how you practice it,…Mostly you just live it and be it. A lot of people overthink spirituality, you know? And they, therefore they think it has to be some big ritual.
But the kingdom of heaven is inside. It’s right inside of you. And you can draw from that wisdom, whether you call it God or higher wisdom or a higher knowing, there’s something bigger than you.
I just think you just need to claim it and live it, And you’re gonna apply that to whatever you do. I don’t think you have to be a saint. I don’t think you have to be so strict that you can’t have fun. You know, it’s all about the intent of your heart.”
When asked with how she deals with times when she can’t see the light, referencing her duet of Long as I Can See the Light” with John Fogerty, she told the Hollywood Reporter:
“Well, I try to show them. I try to shine with it and let them see it through me. I try to find the God-light in everybody and everybody shines. I see that in everybody. I go right to that God-light, and I don’t care if you’re Black or white or green or alien gray.
I go to that, because we’re all pieces of God and we all have that little God-light inside us. Some don’t get to let it shine. If I don’t see it first out, I’d go searching. That’s how I accept everybody because I know that we’re all pieces of God.”
