Pittman Center, Tennessee native Dolly Parton dies in Nashville

Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean was an American singer, songwriter, actor and entrepreneur dubbed the Queen of Country. She was the fourth among the 12 children of Robert Lee Parton Sr. and Avie Lee Caroline Owens Parton.

Dean’s husband Carl Thomas Dean was a native of Nashville, Tennessee. For decades, he ran an asphalt road and driveway-paving business in the city.

BIOGRAPHY

Dolly and Carl never had children due to her health issues. Here are 15 more things about her:

1. In 1964, she graduated from Sevier County High School in Sevierville, Tennessee and moved to Nashville.
2. In 1966, she married Carl.
3. In 1972, she and Carl moved to Brentwood, Tennessee.
4. In 1973, she recorded “I Will Always Love You”.
5. From 1976 to 1977, she hosted the variety show “Dolly”.
6. In 1990, she starred in “9 to 5”, which made her film acting debut.
7. In 1994, she released her autobiography “Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business”.
8. In 1995, she starred in the television series “Heavens to Betsy”.
9. In 2000, he father died.
10. In 2003, her mother died.
11. In 2018, her brother Floyd Estel Parton died.
12. In 2021, her brother Randle Huston “Randy” Parton died.
13. In 2024, her brother David Wilburn Parton died.
14. In 2025, her husband Carl died.
15. In 2026, she and her brother Coy “Denver” Parton died.

TIMELINE

Dolly was 5’0″ tall. She had 49 studio albums, four collaborative albums, nine live albums, six soundtrack albums and one extended play.

1950s

• On July 6, 1955, her brother Larry Gerald Parton was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and died there on the same day.

1960s

• On May 30, 1966, she and Carl got married in Ringgold, Georgia, USA.

1970s

• On June 12, 1973, she recorded “I Will Always Love You” at the RCA Studio B in Nashville, which she wrote as a farewell to her mentor Porter Wagoner.

1980s

• She played Doralee Rhodes in “9 to 5”, which was released in the U.S. on December 19, 1980.

1990s

• On January 1, 1994, HarperCollins published her book “Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business”.

2000s

• Her father turned 79 on March 22, 2000 and died in Knoxville on November 12, 2000.
• Her mother turned 80 on October 5, 2003 and died in Sevierville on December 5, 2003.

2010s

• Her brother Floyd turned 61 on June 1, 2018 and died in Sevierville on December 6, 2018.

2020s

• On December 15, 2020, her brother Randy turned 67.
• On January 21, 2021, her brother Randy died in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, USA.
• Her brother David turned 82 on March 30, 2024 and died in White Pine, Tennessee on November 15, 2024.
• On August 16, 2025, her brother Denver turned 82.
• On January 19, 2026, she turned 80.
• On July 23, 2026, her brother Denver died in Sevierville, Tennessee.
• On August 21, 2026, she was hospitalized at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville.
• On August 25, 2026, she died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center after a brief battle with cancer.