A woman with long blonde hair wearing a bright pink, embellished dress stands with both arms raised and smiles at the camera against a plain background.

Dolly Parton dies aged 80

Dolly Parton made several contributions to the world of musical theatre, including composing the score for 9 to 5: The Musical and contributing to the upcoming Dolly: A True Original Musical, which opens on Broadway later this year.

Olivia Rook25 August, 2026, 16:00

Country singer, songwriter, philanthropist, and actress Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 in in her home state Tennessee, after a brief battle with cancer.

Parton made several contributions to the world of musical theatre, including composing the score for 9 to 5: The Musical, based on the 1980 film in which she starred. She earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score, and the show later transferred to the West End.

Parton also composed the original music and lyrics for Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic story. Set in 1930s East Tennessee, the show reinterprets Ebenezer Scrooge as a mining company owner, and had a UK run at London’s Southbank Centre in 2022-23.

Her latest theatrical venture was the upcoming Dolly: A True Original Musical, which begins performances at the St. James Theatre on 7 December, ahead of an official opening on 19 January. She co-wrote the script with Emmy Award winner Maria S. Schlatter, and the show will feature her back catalogue, with songs including “I Will Always Love You”, “Jolene”, and “9 to 5”.

The news of Parton's passing was announced on social media by her nephew Bryan Seaver on behalf of the family.

Photo credit: Dolly Parton. (Photo courtesy of Dolly: A True Original Musical)

Originally published on Aug 26, 202611:52