Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, her death confirmed by her nephew Brian Seaver in an Instagram video. Parton passed away after a brief battle with cancer, according to a statement from her representatives to People. She had been hospitalized on Friday at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center with autoimmune and kidney problems.
Throughout her nearly 60-year career, Parton was recognized not only for her music but also for her distinctive and over-the-top fashion sense. Her signature style, defined by rhinestones, fringe, sky-high blonde wigs, and skin-tight sequined outfits, became iconic. Parton herself once defended her flamboyant style, stating, "It's certainly a choice; I don't like to be like everybody else. I would never stoop so low to be fashionable, that's the easiest thing in the world to do."
Parton reportedly amassed an extensive collection of costumes and accessories, including more than 350 wigs, over 2,000 pairs of shoes, and a 50,000-square-foot archive of bedazzled stage outfits. She chronicled her fashion journey in her 2023 book, "Behind The Seams: My Life In Rhinestones." Her distinctive look was also referenced in her music, with songs like "Dumb Blonde" and "Backwoods Barbie."
Dolly Parton's unique aesthetic began to take shape after she moved to Nashville at age 18 in 1964 to start her music career. Early in her career, record executive Fred Foster of Monument Records reportedly wanted her to adopt a more streamlined 1960s pop look, including flattening her hair and wearing more subdued clothing. Parton resisted, asserting, "I can't do what I'm supposed to do as a performer if I don't feel comfortable within my own skin." By 1974, Parton had established her signature public image, characterized by blonde wigs and revealing ensembles.
Her career later expanded to Hollywood, where she earned a Grammy for her single "Here You Come Again" and starred in several hit films, leading to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984. She frequently experimented with dramatic wigs, high heels, and copious amounts of rhinestones, favoring bright colors and form-fitting costumes.
Parton often used self-deprecating humor to discuss her public image. She famously quipped, "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap," a phrase from her 1982 film "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" that she considered a potential epitaph. Her "country girl's idea of glamour," as she described it, was partly inspired by a woman in her hometown whom she recalled as the "town tramp."
Her longtime designer, Steve Summers, who worked with Parton for over three decades, stated that Parton was the architect of her image. Summers revealed that the costume team would create around 300 custom outfits annually for the singer, and that Parton might change into as many as ten outfits a day during personal appearances. Even off-the-rack items were customized to fit her distinct style. All of her elaborate costumes were archived by the team.
Parton also explained her extensive use of wigs in a 2016 appearance on Hallmark Channel's "Home & Family." She confessed her signature voluminous hair was a wig, as her natural hair had broken off from bleaching and teasing. "I thought, 'Why am I going through all that? Why don't I just wear wigs? That way, I never have a bad hair day! I have a big hair day, but not a bad hair day,'" she said. In her 2021 memoir, "Dolly Parton, Songteller," she wrote that wigs were her "armor" and allowed her to embody the dream she held in her head, while also emulating the looks of gospel and country singers from that era.
Parton's legacy extends beyond her music and fashion. Her representatives highlighted her "unmatched generosity," including donating hundreds of millions of books through her Imagination Library and funding research that contributed to a lifesaving vaccine. "Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched," the statement read, emphasizing her "unconditional love for all people."