Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Fans and celebrities around the world have been paying tribute to Dolly Parton, who has died aged 80.

Her management said the country superstar passed away on Tuesday following "a brief battle with cancer".

"A true force of nature," says Barbra Streisand, with Katy Perry describing her as "glam, funny, kind", and Beyoncé calling Parton "the north star".

Over the past day, we've heard how Parton has transcended all genres of music and remained popular in an era of political division.

Her career stretched beyond 300 songs, 100 million records and she helped donate 300 million books to young children through her reading initiatives.

Parton's fans have left flowers and balloons, while landmarks across the US, including the Empire State Building in New York, have sparkled pink for the Tennessee icon while President Donald Trump has ordered flags to be lowered for a week.

"It is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly," says Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney.

We're now wrapping up our coverage. Thank you for joining us and for sharing your memories of Dolly Parton.

You can read more:

• Heart, hope and a steely determination: Dolly Parton's musical legacy
• How Dolly Parton told her life story through six iconic songs
• The wit and wisdom of Dolly Parton
• Dolly Parton: Life of the music legend

Image source, Reuters

BBC readers have been sharing their memories and tributes to Dolly Parton.

John says he had a "nice surprise" while flying on a flight - with Dolly Parton in the front two seats.

"One for her, the other for her gigantic handbag," he tells the BBC.

Dannii-Leigh says she "owes a lot" to Parton, as her music got her "through some tough years as a chronically ill teen with autism".

"Her music calmed me down and helped me face the world," she adds.

"That’s what we call a legend," Mubiana says, adding that "the world is truly a much poorer place without her."

Cinzi remembers spending her summers as a child in rural upstate New York, where Dolly's TV show was popular.

"She has been and will remain an inspiration to me, and I hope her rhinestones have been replaced with stars," she says.

Florence Freeman
Live reporter

Hearing the news of Dolly Parton's death was truly shocking for me.

One of the first people I called was my best friend. I remember us trying to make sense of it all. We simply couldn't believe it.

"I actually can't believe it," she said. "She really was an icon."

We cried, reminisced and talked about the impact Dolly had on our lives.

One of my strongest memories of her is tied to family parties. Growing up, there was always music, dancing and celebration at the parties. As the night went on and the energy softened, the playlist would change too.

That's when the slower songs came on. Country music would fill the room, and more often than not, so would Dolly.

Her music seemed to mark the end of the night, when conversations became quieter and people reflected before heading home.

At 27, after countless family gatherings and celebrations, those moments at the end of the night remain some of my happiest memories.

Dolly Parton may be gone, but for so many people, her music will always be part of the moments that matter most.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've previously reported, Dolly Parton had a huge passion for children's literacy, and several authors have been sharing tributes to her.

Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling praises Dolly's Imagination Library in a post on X, describing it as "the best contribution to child literacy ever made by a celebrity".

Suzan Holder, whose novel What Would Dolly Do? was inspired by the singer says: "There are not many people who decide who they want to be and stick to that all their lives" but Dolly was one of them.

New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy, known for books such as Side Effects May Vary, Dumplin', Ramona Blue and Puddin' says Parton eased her nerves before an interview, describing her "a girl's girl down to her bones".

BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James and former presenter Chris Smith, who co-wrote the children's book series Kid Normal, say Parton's reading campaign will be remembered as one of her "greatest legacies", adding that along with her music, she had left the world "millions and millions of stories".

Mark Savage
Music correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Dolly Parton was nobody's fool. Take, for example, the battle over the rights to I Will Always Love You.

After it hit number one in the country charts, Elvis Presley called – he loved the song and wanted to record a cover.

But the night before the recording session, his notoriously hard-nosed manager, Colonel Tom Parker, called Parton and told her Elvis wouldn't record the song unless she handed over half of the lucrative publishing rights.

She refused - but Parton had the last laugh.

When Whitney Houston recorded her blockbuster version of I Will Always Love You for The Bodyguard soundtrack in 1992, the country star still owned the rights and earned "enough money to buy Graceland", Presley's mansion.

Instead, she invested the money in a black neighbourhood in Nashville, Tennessee, saying she thought it was an apt way to honour Houston's legacy.

That determination to stand up for herself, and to value her music as more than just a commodity, is an essential part of Parton's legacy.

Read more of my analysis on Dolly Parton's musical legacy.

Lizzy Bella
BBC Newsbeat

UK country singer Taynee Lord describes Dolly Parton as her "biggest inspiration".

"I have cried so much," the 28-year-old tells BBC Newsbeat, adding Parton is "the reason why I even do anything I do right now, it’s all because of Dolly."

Lord says she was introduced to Parton’s music through her nan, who had a greatest hits CD of the star's songs, and the pair then ended up seeing the country superstar in concert when Lord was 10 – a memory she cherishes.

Now a performer herself, Lord says she will take Parton’s storytelling forward with her.

"The craftsmanship in her songs, her lyrics are really incredible," she adds.

Elliot Deady
News reporter

The cast of Dolly Parton's musical, 9 to 5, was about to go on stage last night when her death was announced.

Paul Jepson, the chief executive of Landmark Theatres which produces the musical, says he hopes Parton would have approved of the way the cast announced her death on stage, in Worthing, West Sussex.

"The thing that felt right to all of us was to take responsibility for sharing the news," he says.

"It felt that the community in the theatre should know as we knew."

Cast member Karla Tracey took to the stage ahead of the show beginning, to let the audience know of the star's death, prompting gasps from the crowd.

Daniela Relph
Senior royal correspondent

The Queen of Country was a fan of the royal Queen too. Dolly Parton loved British royalty.

She met Queen Elizabeth II in 1977 in Glasgow during the Silver Jubilee celebrations and told a local paper it had been "one of the biggest thrills of my life".

"When I was a little girl, I grew up in a world of kings and queens and princes and princesses in fairy tales," Dolly said. "Now I’m going to meet one."

For the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee just before her death in 2022, a video message from Dolly was played at the Jubilee ‘Party at the Palace'.

Sitting in front of a framed photograph of herself with Queen Elizabeth, she paid tribute to a 70 year reign.

"You have been a shining diamond in this world for so long and everybody loves you. And I will always love you too."

Image source, ANL / Shutterstock

Dolly Parton's hit song 9 to 5 was performed outside Buckingham Palace today as the Royal Family pays tribute to the singer.

The Band of the Coldstream Guards played the track during the Changing of the Guard ceremony, drawing crowds of tourists who stopped to listen.

The Royal Family shared footage of the performance on social media, describing Dolly as someone who brought "joy, comfort and inspiration" to many.

Queen Camilla's charity, The Queen's Reading Room. also paid tribute, describing the singer as an "icon" and praising her work encouraging children to read through her Imagination Library programme.

They added: "She gave the most precious of gifts: the chance to millions of young minds of opening the door to imagination, possibility and a lifelong love of reading."

Released in 1980, 9 to 5 became one of Parton's biggest hits and is still among her best-known songs.

Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from Nashville

As morning breaks here in Nashville, there are media crews lining the Music City Walk of Fame - across the street from Country Music Hall of Fame.

Candles from last night are still burning around Parton’s star, with 'We will always love Dolly' written on one of the cards.

When we speak to people here, they love her like their own. On local radio this morning, people called her “our mother” and “our Dolly.”

Image source, Getty Images

We've been hearing from BBC readers who have been sharing memories of seeing Dolly Parton live.

Sandra remembers watching Dolly Parton when she first came to England in 1975, when she performed at the Festival of Country Music at Wembley Arena.

"She absolutely blew the audience away and have seen her many times since," she tells the BBC.

"I saw Dolly live in Glasgow twice and both shows were incredible," Kate says. "Her talent, philanthropy and compassion will be sorely missed."

Dean says he never planned to see Dolly Parton at Glastonbury in 2014, but knew his mum "would have never forgiven [him]."

"Now whenever someone asks me 'what was your favourite Glastonbury performance?' the answer is Dolly Parton, she was superb, I never have laughed so much at a gig - I especially enjoyed her Mud song," he tells the BBC.

Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

Tributes continue to pour in for one of America's most widely admired figures, Dolly Parton, who died on Tuesday aged 80 following a brief battle with cancer.

In a family statement, we learned she passed away at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.

Parton wrote over 3,000 songs, sold more than 100 million records in her 60 year career and even helped donate 300 million books to young children via one of her initiatives. See her life in pictures here.

Dolly was a unicorn for America's polarised society and had a fanbase made up of grandmas and Gen-Zers, Republicans and Democrats, drag queens and evangelicals, some of the world's biggest stars and even a 16-year-old blind and deaf chihuahua.

Somewhere among the masses of fans is the Prime Minister Andy Burnham who praised the legacy of her music and her literacy work, which was expanded to the UK when he was culture secretary.

The queen of the one liner and dressed in "glamour armour" Parton had a unique ability to connect with fans, writes our culture correspondent.

Among the most recent celebrities to pay tribute is Katy Perry, who writes: "If there’s someone you wanna look up to and model your life after, it’s Dolly".

We'll continue to bring you all the latest tributes to the late country star.

Nat Wright
Senior journalist

I was just over a year into my job as a BBC reporter at BBC Radio Sheffield when I landed the biggest interview of my career.

In 2007, I was told to drive to Rotherham to interview the legendary Dolly Parton. I couldn’t believe my luck!

I nervously got together my recording equipment and set off for the Magna Science Centre where she was launching a branch of the Imagination Library, a scheme giving free books to children every month.

When I was ushered to join the press pack patiently waiting for my turn to speak to her, I was shocked at just how small yet polished Dolly looked. Big hair, big heels and even bigger smile.

When I spoke to her, she was so passionate about this project and about children reading. You could tell this issue was one that came from the heart.

She came across as kind, humble and positive about everything she did. I came away shaking with excitement knowing this would be an interview that I would never forget.

I’ll listen to her hits on the way home from work tonight, proud that I experienced her generosity and warmth face to face.

It's still early in Tennessee, where Dolly Parton's theme park Dollywood prepares to open its doors "as Dolly wanted".

"In her spirit, Dollywood will be open Wednesday as Dolly wanted, always reminding everyone with her signature sparkle - 'the show must go on'," the Dollywood website says.

A livestream shows the quiet exterior of the park, glowing pink, where visitors will begin arriving in two hours' time.

Image source, Reuters

Emily Holt
Education reporter

Helen Hastle, regional director at the Dollywood Foundation UK, in charge of the UK's branch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, says they will do “everything they can” to grow the scheme and “keep Dolly’s vision alive’.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, she says Dolly was "the heart of our organisation".

"What's important to us is Dolly's legacy, the Imagination Library... she set it up to go on after she'd gone.”

The foundation sends books directly to children through the post every month from birth to the age of five, with children aged five receiving a happy birthday message from Parton.

“You're mailing about 86,000 books a month across the UK. I think we've nearly mailed eight million books since we started in 2008, which is astonishing," Hastle explains.

“We intend to keep going for as long as people want to receive the Imagination Library books, which is great news for lots of families," she adds.

From childhood nostalgia to Dolly-sightings, we're receiving more memories of Dolly from BBC readers.

Amy says she has loved the singer since the day her nan gifted her a Dolly Parton CD in 2007. "As an adult, she made me feel nostalgic for precious family memories listening to her music together," she adds.

"I was at Stonehenge in the early 90s and out of the car park came a Rolls Royce," Deborah tells us. "Like the Queen’s with high roof and tall windows," she continues.

"My partner and I (a punk and a hippy) looked on expecting to see royalty. But as the car went past there was Dolly waving in the back seat with a big smile on her face. My partner and I looked at each other and exclaimed "Dolly Parton!!!"

Nicola says Dolly's music "was part of the fabric of our family."

"My mum is a huge fan and every Sunday morning Dolly’s songs would be blasting out as she did her weekly house clean. As a result I know every word and we all love her too. I am so glad I got to see her live with my mum when she came to Cardiff," she tells the BBC.

"Dolly's passing feels like a light has gone out in the world," writes Sharon, adding: "Her music changed culture, but her heart changed people."

Image source, Reuters

In an era of political division, Dolly Parton remained one of America's most widely admired public figures.

Dolly often avoided party politics, once joking that she saw herself as "more of a diplomat" when asked whether she would ever run for office.

With a fanbase that included grandmas and Gen-Zers, Republicans and Democrats, drag queens and evangelicals, Parton was a kind of unicorn in America's polarised society.

She also made it clear she did not want to alienate fans. "I've got as many Republican fans as Democrats and I don't want to make any of them mad at me, so I don't play politics," she once said.

Yet staying out of partisan battles did not mean staying apolitical. Over the years, Parton spoke out on subjects including women's rights, LGBTQ equality and Black Lives Matter.

Her ability to connect with people from different backgrounds was a big part of her appeal.

• Read more about how Dolly Parton remained one of America's most popular stars

Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

Image source, Lili McKellar

Among those grieving the great dame of country today is Dolly, the "very vocal" 16-year-old blind and deaf chihuahua.

The feisty dog was named after the late singer due to her "fiery spirit" combined with her "very sweet" nature, her owner Lili McKellar tells me.

The Londoner, 28, explains that her mum is a massive Parton fan and her family grew up listening to her hits, with the singer becoming "part of our life, a part of our house".

"It's sad that Dolly Parton has passed away but I'm glad that I still have a piece of her with my dog," Lili adds.

Dolly thechihuahua is not the only animal to be named after the country star.

A white Lurcher found in a tent during the clean-up of Glastonbury festival in 2014 - the year Parton performed - was named after the singer.

Parton said she was "very honoured and flattered" that the dog was named after her and even offered to take the dog home with her to the US if nobody claimed her.

Dolly the sheep, the first successfully cloned mammal, was also named for the star after doctors revealed the animal was copied from a mammary gland cell.

Image source, Reuters

• 3000 songs written
• 100 million records sold
• 300 million free books donated by Parton's initiative to children under five learn to read
• 10 Grammy Awards and 54 nominations
• 140,000 people who were lucky enough to be part of the star's biggest ever performance at Glastonbury in 2014
• Four million people who visit Dollywood, Parton's theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and related businesses annually, according to its website
• One legendary country singer

Emma Lynch
Picture Editor

Image source, 20th Century Fox via Alamy

While Dolly Parton is best known for her decades-spanning music career, her work as an actor has also left a lasting impression on film audiences.

Parton's breakout screen role came in the 1980 workplace comedy 9 to 5, where she starred alongside Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dabney Coleman.

Her portrayal of Doralee Rhodes combined comic timing with warmth, helping to redefine expectations of performers crossing over from music into film.

Image source, Universal Pictures via Alamy

She followed this with roles in films such as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, alongside Burt Reynolds, and Steel Magnolias.

The latter featured an ensemble cast including Julia Roberts and Sally Field.

Image source, Moviestore Collection Ltd via Alamy