Dolly Parton at 80: From a one-room cabin in the Smoky Mountains to worldwide fame
Dolly Parton has spent the last 60 years transforming herself from a small town girl to one of the biggest names in the world. Now, Parton is celebrating her 80th birthday.
In a video shared earlier this month, the country music icon informed viewers that she will not be attending the "Opry Goes Dolly" event, which is an annual event hosted to honor Parton. In a video shared on Jan. 17, Parton wished attendees and viewers have "the best night ever."
"I just wanted to say how much it means to me that you’re all coming together again this year to celebrate my big ol’ birthday," she began.
"I wish I could be there in person, but I’ll be sending you all my love for sure," Parton concluded.
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On Jan. 17, the Grand Ole Opry honored Parton "80s era" with performances from Lainey Wilson, Vince Gill, Rhonda Vincent and more.
Below is a look at how Parton transformed herself from humble beginnings to superstar fame.
Parton spent her young years in rural Sevierville, Tennessee, but knew from a young age that she had big dreams.
Parton was born in 1946, the fourth of 12 children. She grew up in the Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee, and much of her childhood was spent sharing a one-bedroom cabin with her parents and 11 brothers and sisters.
In 2021, she told USA Today that she knew there was more out there than the Great Smoky Mountains. "I just knew that I wanted to be out in a bigger world. I knew there was more than just the Smokies. I love my people, I love my home, but I just wanted to do more."
Before she made it to the big stage, she told the outlet that she would go to her front porch and attach a tobacco tin can to a stick and make her own microphone. Family members caught on that she had a passion for singing.
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"I had an uncle, Bill Owens, that used to take me around to different places to sing. He had taught me all the chords on the guitar, because he saw early on that I was serious about my singing," Parton told USA Today.
While in high school, Parton and Owens signed with Tree Publishing, which led to a deal with Mercury Records.
Her first single with the record company, "It's Sure Gonna Hurt," was released in 1962. It didn't perform well, and she was dropped by the label shortly after.
The day after her high school graduation in 1964, Parton left her hometown for Nashville.
In 1976, Parton told the New York Times that she met her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, right when she moved to Nashville. She said he "hollered" at her while driving his pickup truck outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat, but she declined his request for a date.
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She instead invited him over the following day while she was babysitting her nephew.
"He came up every day that week and we sat out on the porch. I wouldn't even take him in the house," she told the outlet at the time.
"Then my aunt got a day off, and she could keep the kid and that was my first chance to go anywhere with Carl and he drove me straight to his folks' house and introduced me to his mother and daddy. 'Cause he said he knew right the minute he saw me that that's the one he wanted."
In 1965, Parton signed with Monument Records as a pop artist.
In 1966, Parton and Dean tied the knot.
Monument Records requested that she and Dean wait to get married for the sake of her career, according to Business Insider. They married in Georgia, so their marriage wouldn't be promoted in the press in Tennessee, the outlet said.
She told CMT in 2016: "It was just my mother and Carl and me. We went across the state line to Ringgold, Georgia. My mother made me a little white dress and a little bouquet and a little Bible. But I said, 'I can't get married in a courthouse because I'll never feel married.' So we found a little Baptist church in town, and went up to Pastor Don Duvall and said, 'Would you marry us?' We got pictures on the steps right outside the church."
Dean remained largely out of the public eye before his death in 2025.
However, to honor the couple's 50th wedding anniversary in 2016, he shared a statement with Entertainment Tonight: "My first thought was 'I'm gonna marry that girl.' My second thought was, 'Lord she’s good lookin.' And that was the day my life began. I wouldn't trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth."
In 1967, Parton released her debut album, "Hello, I'm Dolly."
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Shortly after the release of her album, Parton had a guest appearance on "The Porter Wagoner Show," which offered her a spot as his duet co-host. In 1974, she officially left Wagoner’s show (amicably, after legal disputes).
In 1970, Parton launched her solo career. Her breakout solo hits like "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You" were released in 1973.
Parton's movie debut was in "9 to 5," and her title song became a global hit. She went on to star in several popular movies, including "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "Rhinestone."
The '80s was Parton's time to shine when it came to her business.
In 1986, she became co-owner of Dollywood, a theme park and entertainment resort, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The park draws millions of people annually.
In 2005, Parton launched the Imagination Library, a literacy program that provides free books to children around the world. In the 2000s, she continued to release music, tour and receive numerous lifetime achievement honors, including the Kennedy Center Honors.
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In the 2010s and beyond, Parton celebrated major career anniversaries, released new albums, and gained renewed attention through film and television projects inspired by her life and music. In 2016, Parton celebrated 50 years in music with the "Pure & Simple" tour.
In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2023, Parton decided to stray from country music and released her first rock album, "Rockstar."
In 2025, Parton mourned the death of her husband in March.
Several months later, she was a guest on Khloé Kardashian's podcast and admitted that she was deeply grieving.
"My husband passed away three months ago… [There are] several things I have wanted to start, but I can’t do it," Parton shared on "Khloé in Wonder Land."
"I will later," she added. "I’m just coming up with such wonderful, beautiful ideas, but I think I won’t finish it. I can’t do it right now, because I got so many other things."
Parton announced Dean's death in a heartfelt statement that she shared on Instagram on March 3.
"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together," the "9 to 5" singer wrote. "Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."
Parton has battled various health issues over the past few months, and in September, sparked concern among fans when she announced that she would be postponing her upcoming Las Vegas residency from December 2025 to September 2026.
In October, the country icon took to social media to give a much-anticipated update on her health, saying she was "not dying" just yet.
"Well, today's October the eighth, and obviously I'm here doing some commercials for the Grand Ole Opry, which is why I'm dressed kind of like a country western girl," Parton said in a video posted on Instagram. "But before I got started, I wanted to say, I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I'm working hard here."
"Anyway, I wanted to put everybody's mind at ease," she continued. "Those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate, and I appreciate your prayers because I'm a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything, but I want you to know that I'm okay. I've got some problems. As I mentioned back when my husband, Carl, was very sick. That was for a long time. And then when he passed, I didn't take care of myself. So I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of."
Parton said her doctor urged her to take care of a few things, but reassured her fans it was "nothing major."
"I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I'm kind of having a few treatments here and there," she said. "But I wanted you to know that I'm not dying."
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"But anyway, there's just a lot of rumors flying around, but I figured if you heard it from me, you'd know that I was okay," she concluded. "So anyhow, that's what I wanted to say, and I'm not ready to die yet. I don't think God is through with me and I ain't done working. I love you for caring and keep praying for me."
She captioned the post, "I ain't dead yet!"
Ahead of the release of her new book, "Star of the Show: My Life on Stage," the country music legend opened up about her impressive career spanning more than seven decades, was candid about the personal sacrifices she's made throughout the years and explained why she feels like she's "just getting started" as she turns 80 years old.
"You know, I have just been going so fast my whole life," Parton told People magazine. "And I just start thinking, ‘How in the world did I even have a life? How did I even get it done?’ I really realized when I was putting this book together just how much I had sacrificed in my life. I never had children, so at least I didn’t have a guilty feeling. I’m thankful that I got to see my dreams come true."
"People say, ‘Well, you’re going to be 80 years old.’ Well, so what? Look at all I’ve done in 80 years. I feel like I’m just getting started," said Parton. "I know that sounds stupid, but unless my health gives way, which right now I seem to be doing fine… I think there’s a lot to be said about age. If you allow yourself to get old, you will. I say, ‘I ain’t got time to get old!’ I ain’t got time to dwell on that. That’s not what I’m thinking about."
Fox News Digital's Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.