The legendary Dolly Parton dies at 80

BarcelonaSinger-songwriter Dolly Parton died this Tuesday at the age of 80. This was announced by her family in a video shared on social media. A country music legend, and one of the most iconic artists of her generation, Parton leaves behind a legacy that includes songs like Jolene and I will always love you. A few days ago, the singer herself explained to "People" magazine that she had to cancel some concerts due to health problems she had neglected while caring for her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in March 2025 at the age of 82. Unfortunately, she did not make it.

Dolly Parton's artistic magnitude is immense, especially in the United States, where she has been one of the most important figures in country music, a genre whose stylistic coordinates she knew how to adapt to her artistic and political concerns, and always from a woman's perspective. Furthermore, she has been a benchmark for both traditional and unorthodox country music. Empathetic by nature, she always stood by the most vulnerable. She promoted literacy programs in depressed areas, created university scholarships, funded NGOs, and during the coronavirus pandemic, she provided financial support for the development of vaccines. Despite being one of the few artists of consensus between the two Americas, she maintained a direct confrontation with Donald Trump, a president who represents the antithesis of the empathetic values that Parton defended.

Born in Sevierville (Tennessee), on January 19, 1946, she grew up in a rather tough environment, in the Appalachians, a geographical context prone to "goddamn sad songs" (sad ass songs), as she herself said. Undisputed queen of country, she had a deep knowledge of tradition and at the same time a great pop intuition. The combination was a winning one, although success was not immediate. Dolly Parton trained with Porter Wagoner, who in 1967 hired her to sing on his television show. Before that, she had already made inroads into Nashville, and had begun composing with the collaboration of her uncle, Bill Owen, and under the influence of country giants like Hank Williams, as she showed on the album Hello, I'm Dolly (1967). The alliance with Wagnoner brought him notoriety and a regular presence on television. Records like Just because I'm a woman (1968), In the good old days (when times were bad) (1969) and the magnificent Joshua (1971) are part of this first stage of more classic country, but which already offers many details of Dolly Parton's vocal and compositional personality.