Dolly Parton has been honoured on both sides of the Atlantic following her death, with US flags lowered to half-staff and the King’s Guard performing her hit “9 to 5” outside Buckingham Palace.
The extraordinary tributes reflect the reach of a woman who rose from poverty in rural Tennessee to become one of the world's most recognisable entertainers and whose influence extended far beyond music.
In tribute to the icon, US President Donald Trump has called for all national flags throughout the country to be flown at half-mast through to sunset on September 1, 2026. Trump shared a statement on social media calling Parton's passing "a true loss for millions of people" and stating that "there has never been anyone like her, and never will".
Parton was also honoured in London, where the King’s Guard performed a special rendition of her 1980 hit “9 to 5” outside Buckingham Palace.
The song was played by the Band of the Coldstream Guards during the Changing of the Guard ceremony, offering a distinctly British tribute to one of the world’s best-known entertainers.
The performance was shared by the Royal Family’s official social media channels, which paid tribute to Parton’s global impact and highlighted her Imagination Library, the literacy initiative that has provided free books to children.
From a one-room cabin to global fame
Before she ever saw a real stage, a young Dolly Parton, it is reported, would stand on the front porch of her family's cabin to sing.
She would stick a tin can onto a tobacco stick to serve as her microphone, performing to an audience of the family's farm animals, including the chickens and pigs.
She often joked that the chickens would cackle their approval, but the reality was that this landscape served as her very first backing band.
The world has lost Dolly Parton, but it is difficult to think of a world without her.
Parton died this week at the age of 80, bringing to an end one of the most remarkable lives in modern entertainment.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, announced the news in a video on social media, speaking on behalf of the family. At her request, according to her Instagram account, a small, private service will be held with immediate family.
Seaver said Dolly opened doors not only for him but for her family to reach potentials they didn't know was possible. She also opened doors, he said, for musicians, songwriters and dreamers. "By her example we thought anything was possible."
"Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy. He farmed the soil, she farmed songs and happiness."
"Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because of a life of wearing heavy rhinestones she deserves to be comfortable and have some rest."
Reuters and The Associated Press have reported on the extraordinary outpouring of grief from musicians, actors, politicians and millions of ordinary people whose lives were touched by her music, her humour and her generosity.
Her life was remarkable. Parton however never forgot where she came from.
Born Dolly Rebecca Parton on January 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, she was raised in poverty in a one-room cabin as the fourth of 12 children and started singing in church at age six and performed on local television as a teenager.
Parton often told stories about her humble beginnings.
When she was born in 1946, her family lived in such intense poverty that her father, Robert Lee Parton, could not afford the small cash fee for the missionary doctor who delivered her. Instead, her father handed over a sack of cornmeal as payment. Parton frequently shared this story to highlight just how humble her beginnings were.
She had come from almost nothing and she built almost everything.
When she died she was surrounded by loved ones, and she died a global star, worth millions.
Her life long partner and husband Carl Dean, an asphalt paver, died last year aged 82. They married in1966, but Dean was not one for the spotlight. The two never had children and were together for almost 60 years. They helped raise several of Parton's younger siblings and stayed very close to their nieces and nephews. She often noted that she felt it was God's plan for her not to have her own children so that "everyone's children could be hers".
Across a career spanning seven decades, Parton became a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist. She sold more than 100 million records and wrote over 3,000 songs.
But the tributes to Parton were not only about the Superstar she was: Instead so many spoke last night about Dolly Parton the person.
Her longtime friend Reba McEntire wrote that there would “never ever be another” Dolly, remembering the love and generosity she gave to so many.
Lily Tomlin, her unforgettable co-star in 9 to 5, could only write: “No words…💔” — a simple reaction that somehow says everything.
Jane Fonda, another of her 9 to 5 co-stars, remembered Dolly as a deep thinker and a joyous spirit. Paul McCartney, Dionne Warwick, Vince Gill and Kacey Musgraves were among the many other artists who paid tribute to her extraordinary life and influence.
And then there was Miley Cyrus, Dolly's goddaughter, who described her as “the purest soul.”
That word, soul, seems particularly fitting.
Because Dolly's extraordinary career was never just about records, awards or fame. She had something that cannot be manufactured: an ability to make people feel that there was room for them in the world.
She could sing about heartbreak and make you feel less alone. She could make millions laugh. She could walk onto a stage covered in rhinestones and somehow still seem like the girl from the Tennessee mountains who had simply never stopped dreaming.
Her songs will remain, of course.
Jolene.Coat of Many Colors.9 to 5.I Will Always Love You.
But her greatest legacy may be found somewhere beyond the music.
It is in the children who received books through her Imagination Library. It is in the people she encouraged when nobody else believed in them. It is in the artists she inspired and the friends who describe her not merely as a legend, but as someone who genuinely cared.
That is why the loss feels so personal, even to people who never met her. Dolly Parton belonged to no single generation. Parents played her records. Their children grew up singing her songs. Their grandchildren discovered her all over again.
She crossed boundaries that few artists ever managed to cross: country, pop, film, television, comedy, philanthropy, while remaining completely and unmistakably herself.
And perhaps that is the lesson she leaves us: when you finally have more than enough, reach back and help somebody else climb.
Parton did that. She became a superstar without losing her warmth, a millionaire without losing her generosity, and a legend without ever seeming to forget the people who helped her get there.
There will be other singers. There will be other actors. There will be other stars. But, as they say in the classics, there will never be another Dolly Parton.
Rest in peace Dolly. A star was born in 1946, and that star will live on beyond death.
* Additional reporting: Tributes referenced from Reuters and The Associated Press, with additional comments from Dolly Parton's friends, colleagues and fellow artists on Instagram and other social media accounts. Story updated at 7.46am, August 26, 2026.
* Fans and friends around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com.
In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to her Imagination Library.