Hours after news broke that country music icon Dolly Parton had died at 80, Gov. Ron DeSantis set to honor her by lowering flags across Florida — in accordance with a directive from President Donald Trump.
DeSantis ordered the flags of the United States and the state of Florida to be flown at half-staff at all local and state buildings, installations and grounds until sunset on Sept. 1.
That’s the same timeframe Trump designated in a proclamation he issued Tuesday, directing flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and all public buildings and grounds, military posts, naval stations and naval vessels.
Trump ordered the same for facilities abroad, including U.S. territories, embassies, legations, consular offices and other sites.
Neither Trump nor DeSantis offered words of personal sentiment about Parton’s passing, though doing so is less common than not doing so.
Parton died peacefully Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, her publicist said in a statement. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Known for her curvy physique, massive blonde wigs, and skin-tight outfits that complemented her self-deprecating wit, she was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond — the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography, and politics.
She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You,” that totaled more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams. Parton, who plucked bejeweled banjos, guitar and dulcimers with her long fingernails during performances, was a generous philanthropist and successful businesswoman whose projects included a theme park in the Smoky Mountain foothills near her birthplace.
She also starred in successful Hollywood films like “9 to 5,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” and “Steel Magnolias,” among others, and authored multiple books, including a memoir and a bestselling novel.
Her career was forever influenced by her upbringing as one of 12 children born into what she called a “dirt poor” Tennessee family. She started her education nonprofit, Imagination Library, to send free books to children in Tennessee because her father, who quit school to work on the farm, struggled to learn to read.
Beyond her music, Parton’s most lasting legacy might be her generosity and broad appeal.
When a deadly wildfire swept through the Smokies in 2016, she hosted an all-star telethon and established a foundation that sent monthly checks to residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed.
She opened up her Dollywood theme park in East Tennessee, a major economic driver in Appalachia that draws tourists from around the country, and established the Dollywood Foundation. She wrote books and memoirs, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy. She was selected for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2025.
With 55 Grammy nominations and 10 wins, Parton is the third-most nominated woman in Grammy history, only behind Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.
Parton spanned social and political divides across multiple generations of fans, urban, rural, and in between. In tumultuous election years, it wasn’t uncommon to see “Dolly for President” shirts. But she was strict about not voicing her own political beliefs, often turning aside questions about presidents, candidates, policies and other controversies.
“I don’t do politics,” Parton told host Jad Abumrad on his hit podcast “Dolly Parton’s America.”
“I have too many fans on both sides of the fence. Of course, I have my opinion about everything, but I learned years ago to keep your mouth shut about things.”
When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation sent out a ballot in 2022 with her name on it, though she said she felt she hadn’t earned it, the voters answered with a “Hello, Dolly.” Parton showed up to the induction ceremony, performed and then put out a rock album.
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Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Republished with permission.
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