The singer, songwriter, and actress Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026. She was 80 years old. She was known as the Queen of Country. Her Disney connection includes the role of Aunt Dolly in “Hannah Montana.”

Dolly Parton Passes Away

The official announcement came from her official Instagram account with a video from her nephew Bryan Seaver on behalf of the Parton family.

Parton was having health issues last year when she announced on September 28, 2025, that she would not be able to follow through on a six-show December residency at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace that had been announced as a long-awaited return to the concert stage.

Parton’s health then became a further subject of concern on September 30 when she announced that she would not be participating in the Motion Picture Academy’s Governors Awards in November to accept the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. It had been understood that Parton would accept the award remotely, but Parton ultimately ruled even that out.

Parton’s most prominent Disney roles was Aunt Dolly on the Hannah Montana show.

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The post Dolly Parton, Queen of Country Music and Aunt Dolly in ‘Hannah Montana,’ Dies at 80 appeared first on WDW News Today.