EXCLUSIVE: How Dolly Parton is Making Chart History After Death Aged 80
Dolly Parton is still making chart history after her death at age 80 due to cancer.
Sept. 8 2026, Published 1:44 p.m. ET
Dolly Parton is making chart history after her death at 80, with grieving fans sending three of the country legend's best-loved songs simultaneously into the UK Top 10, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The iconic singer, songwriter and actress died on August 25 – prompting a worldwide surge in streams and sales of a catalog spanning more than six decades.
Fans Send Dolly To Top Of UK Charts
Dolly Parton made chart history after her death at age 80.
The following day, Parton became the world's most-streamed artist, recording nearly 80 million on-demand audio streams as listeners returned to hits including Jolene, 9 to 5 and Islands in the Stream.
A music industry source told us: "The reaction demonstrates the extraordinary place Dolly held in people's lives. These are songs audiences have known for decades, but her death has prompted millions of people to return to them at exactly the same moment."
Parton now has three songs in the UK Top 10 simultaneously – giving some of her most famous recordings their strongest-ever chart performances.
9 to 5, which Parton wrote for the 1980 comedy movie of the same name, has climbed to No. 5, making it her highest-charting UK single.
Her Biggest Hits See A Shocking Revival
Listeners pushed three of her songs into the UK Top 10.
Its resurgence represents a remarkable turnaround for a song that reached only No. 47 on the UK chart when originally released.
Jolene, one of Parton's signature recordings, has climbed to No. 6. The song previously peaked at No. 7 following its release in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, Islands in the Stream, Parton's 1983 duet with fellow country superstar Kenny Rogers, who died aged 81 in 2020, has reached No. 9.
The renewed interest has extended beyond individual songs. Parton's 2022 compilation Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection has climbed to No. 5 on the UK albums chart – its highest position since its release.
Parton was born in Tennessee in 1946 and grew up as one of 12 children in a poor family in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Whitney Houston covered 'I Will Always Love You.'
The Truth About Her Hollywood Domination
She established herself as a prolific country songwriter.
After moving to Nashville following high school, she developed into one of country music's most prolific songwriters and performers.
Her breakthrough association with Porter Wagoner, who died aged 80 in 2007, introduced her to a national television audience before Parton established herself as a solo superstar.
Among her most enduring compositions was I Will Always Love You, which she wrote and recorded in the 1970s. Whitney Houston, who died aged 48 in 2012, transformed the song into an international phenomenon with her version for the 1992 movie The Bodyguard.
Parton's career also extended into Hollywood. Her screen credits included 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias, while her distinctive image, humor and personality helped make her a cultural figure far beyond country music.
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Inside Dolly's Secret Private Funeral
Her family laid her to rest in a quiet Nashville ceremony.
Away from entertainment, Parton became renowned for philanthropy, particularly through her Imagination Library literacy program.
She was married to Carl Thomas Dean for nearly 60 years before his death aged 82 in 2025. The couple had largely kept their marriage away from public attention.
Parton was laid to rest alongside Dean at Nashville's Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum on August 28 in a small private family ceremony.
Her cousin Richie Owens said: "It was very quiet, very quickly done and not for any bad reasons whatsoever. She wanted to keep it very, very private."
Parton fiercely protected her private life with Dean, who she married in 1966 after meeting him outside a Nashville laundromat.
Dean largely avoided the spotlight despite his wife's global fame, preferring a quiet life away from showbusiness.
The famously private couple never had children and remained together until Dean's death in 2025.
