Taylor Swift has paid a warm tribute to Dolly Parton after the country music legend’s death at the age of 80.
Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Nashville following a brief battle with cancer. Her family and representatives confirmed the news.
In a statement shared with several media outlets, Swift wrote: “A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right. But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.”
She described Parton as “truly the gift that kept on giving” and said the singer encouraged people to be themselves. Swift added that Parton shared lessons “gently and honestly, simultaneously, and oftentimes hilariously.”
The pop star called her “true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person.” She praised Parton’s soft heart for others and her strong backbone in defending her worth as an artist.
Swift also thanked Parton for her songs, her Imagination Library that gave millions of books to children, and the path she cleared for young female artists. She ended the message with: “Dolly, I’ll think of you each step of the way.”
The two artists had mutual respect for years. They first met in 2010 at the Grand Ole Opry. Just last month, Swift and her husband Travis Kelce donated money to Parton’s Imagination Library as part of their wedding charitable gifts.
Reference links
- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-dolly-parton-dead-tribute-1236681122/
- https://variety.com/2026/music/news/taylor-swift-dolly-parton-tribute-dead-1236842794/
- https://people.com/taylor-swift-pays-tribute-dazzling-dolly-parton-12068255
- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/taylor-swift-dolly-parton-tribute-1235615646/
