# Dolly Parton has died at age 80 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death, music\ **Created:** [August 25, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545 "2026-08-25T18:00:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/121 "2026-08-26T02:20:42Z")
That gives me one more reason to respect Mr. Hanks. I’ve been watching the 20-part WWII series he narrated, and he’s doing an excellent job. Newer reports are saying that she had a brief battle with cancer, on top of kidney and autoimmune issues. If the family wishes to go into more details, they will when the time is right. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/122 "2026-08-26T02:26:38Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I have two children and when they were little, both received free books monthly or so from Dolly Parton. Anyone who wants to contribute to some charity that Dolly Parton considered important should give it to the book charity [https://imaginationlibrary.com/](https://imaginationlibrary.com/) . ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/123 "2026-08-26T02:39:52Z")
Is it okay to post favorite performances by Dolly? _ **Shine** _, originally by Collective Soul, Dolly put a great bluegrass spin on it. > **[Dolly Parton - Shine (Official)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plUD6vN80dg%2F)** > > Music video by Dolly Parton performing Shine (Official). © 2001 Dolly Recordshttp://vevo.ly/8jI4b3 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/124 "2026-08-26T02:40:48Z")
[Roger Ebert wrote this](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/dolly-parton-gee-shes-really-nice) about his and Gene Siskel’s meeting Parton > _“I had a one-on-one interview with Parton in a hotel suite. As we spoke, I found myself enveloped by her presence. This had nothing to do with sex appeal. Far from it. It was as if I were being mesmerized by a benevolent power. I left the room in a cloud of good feeling. Next day, Siskel and I were sitting next to each other on an airplane. “This will sound crazy,” he said, “but when I was interviewing Dolly Parton, I almost felt like she had healing powers.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Anise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anise/32/21721_2.png) [@Anise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anise)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/125 "2026-08-26T03:29:12Z")
It felt like she was going to live forever… there was something eternal about Dolly. Like she had always been here, and always would be. (no idea why this says “guest”, btw, I’ve been a member since 2003.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/126 "2026-08-26T03:29:23Z")
Moderating: > [@bmoak1](#): > > Really? Hanks is despised by the right wing and features prominently in the fever swamps of Q-Anon, Epstein Island “lists” and COVID conspiracy cranks. He was supposed to go to West Point last year to receive a prestigious annual award for civilians and it was canceled under political pressure and Trump crowed about it. This has nothing to do with Dolly Parton, and doesn’t belong in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/127 "2026-08-26T03:55:37Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > It’s amazing that she could wear huge wigs, lots of make-up and rhinestone studded outfits and still come across as open, honest and genuine. Hey, if I learned anything from Ru Paul, it’s that we’re all born nekkid, and everything else is drag. Whatever you wear, you can be a genuine human being, and a good one if you try. Gillian Welch was apparently violently sick on her 10th birthday. Her parents were working with Dolly, and when she came over the next day to rehearse with them, she made sure she tried to make Gillian feel better. It’s just the type of person she was. I won’t copy/paste the whole post, but it can be seen at the Instagram link below. > [@](#): > > I am so sorry that all that sunshine, compassion, and towering humanity and artistry is now gone from this earth. I believe that Dolly is now one with the light that she shined all around her everywhere she went. She left us so much music and truly made the world a better place, through her art and her example. You will be so missed, but you will never be forgotten. Rest now. Nashville mourns. [https://www.instagram.com/p/DcerIx-GgFW/](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcerIx-GgFW/) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/128 "2026-08-26T04:22:39Z")
Not only a great talent, but a great humanitarian also. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/129 "2026-08-26T04:32:14Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Here’s just a few seconds of her talent and effervescence. It always puts a smile on my face. That made me smile. That’s her in a nutshell. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/130 "2026-08-26T05:09:45Z")
Lindsay Ellis happened to be making a two-part video about her, the first one releasing this Friday. So she decided to make it public. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uJuKN0chAZk/maxresdefault.jpg "Yes, Dolly was Actually That Great") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJuKN0chAZk) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/131 "2026-08-26T06:46:33Z")
She was huge in 80s South Africa - her variety show playing here on our one TV channel probably had a lot to do with that. I know a lot of people who are huge fans of hers (not me, but that’s just my tastes) On the other hand, she _did_ play Sun City, but she later apologized and more than made up for it, I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/132 "2026-08-26T07:15:58Z")
I appreciated her guest appearance a couple years ago on Seth MacFarlane’s sci-fi series The Orville. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/133 "2026-08-26T08:35:47Z")
Wings Of Pegasus analyzes her talent. [British guitarist analyses Dolly Parton’s guitar playing and singing live in 1979!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66qF5SdjOA4) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/134 "2026-08-26T10:39:08Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I don’t care that she’s not Catholic, if the Pope doesn’t canonize her toot sweet he loses all moral authority. I’ve seen a comment on social media along the lines of “The Pope is fast-tracking her for sainthood even though she wasn’t Catholic, because game recognizes game”. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I just came from YouTube, where the fundies are saying she’s probably in the place down below because even though she claimed to be a Christian, she did not quote Scripture or sing gospel music. > > Folks, it’s OK to have faith and keep it private. The Bible literally tells them to. **Matthew 6:5, people!** ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/135 "2026-08-26T11:10:25Z")
Lee Skylar shared his stories about Dolly. He played bass on several of her albums. He shares a story about working on Rhinestone with Dolly. She had a apartment near the recording studio. She asked Lee to pick her up on the way in. Dolly could easily have used a Limo. But it says a lot that a ride with someone in the band was all she needed.. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EcVK1p4LIX8/maxresdefault.jpg "2210. DOLLY 💔 DOLLY 💔 DOLLY") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcVK1p4LIX8) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/136 "2026-08-26T12:35:31Z")
A dedication from Buckingham Palace: > ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/137 "2026-08-26T13:23:31Z")
The morning duo I listen to did a Dolly Parton tribute today, which included this in its entirety. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CvaeUINhjQo/maxresdefault.jpg "Dolly Parton Presents Her Top Ten Pet Peeves | Letterman") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvaeUINhjQo) ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/138 "2026-08-26T13:52:25Z")
Now, I do like country music.. so I appreciate Dolly on that level very much. What a gorgeous voice she had, what an amazingly talented songwriter. You know that she wrote Jolene and I will always love you in the same day? And I actually think she was criminally underrated as a guitarist. That being said, like Johnny Cash she absolutely outstripped the genre. But more than that, as it’s been said here many times, she was a quality human being. Her light and love will be missed so much. Rest in peace, darling, we will always love you. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/139 "2026-08-26T14:08:33Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > sing gospel music Yes, she did sing gospel music. She learned to sing gospel songs in church as a young girl. Her 1971 album _The Golden Streets of Glory_ had gospel songs. Her father and grandfather were local preachers. She had many other gospel songs. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545/140 "2026-08-26T14:32:36Z")
Beyond her recognizable hits are many many great songs. I recommend her Acoustic Collection. Singer songwriter multi instrumentalist, Little Sparrow my favorite if I had to choose. [https://www.discogs.com/release/5309240-Dolly-Parton-The-Acoustic-Collection-1999-2002](https://www.discogs.com/release/5309240-Dolly-Parton-The-Acoustic-Collection-1999-2002) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80/1032545.md?page=8)