Dolly Parton dies at 80; tributes, memorials, and commemorations follow across the country
Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, at age 80 after what was described as a brief battle with cancer. President Trump ordered flags flown at half-staff at the White House and across the nation, writing on Truth Social that Parton was "one of the greatest Country singers… EVER." Memorials, flowers, and handwritten tributes appeared at sites around Nashville in the days following her death.
Dolly Parton, the singer and philanthropist born January 19, 1946, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, died August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. She was known widely as a country music artist, a businesswoman, and a philanthropist whose work touched communities across the United States.
Among the commemorations that followed her death, Nashville officials moved to rename the city's airport Dolly Parton International Airport. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee expressed support for the name change, according to NPR, though the Metro Nashville Airport Authority's own policy limits renamings to those who made contributions specifically to aviation. The Airport Authority Board is pushing forward with the change regardless.
Tennessee lawmakers also began considering designating September 25 — or 9/25 — as "9 to 5 Day" in honor of Parton's signature song, NPR reported. The state had already named January 19 "Dolly Parton Day" earlier in 2026 to mark her 80th birthday. The Empire State Building was lit in pink, and Dollywood, her theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, opened the day after her death, with the park's operators saying "the show must go on."