Dolly Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver, who was also her head of security, was the one who confirmed the news in a video he posted on social media. So far, no one has revealed the cause of her death.
What did become known hours later was the reaction of the most powerful man in the United States.
Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that it was “a true loss for millions of people” and ordered the American flag to be flown at half-staff for an entire week: at federal buildings, military bases, embassies, and naval vessels, from 6:00 p.m. that Tuesday until sunset on September 1.
The gesture is surprising because Parton, throughout her more than 60-year career, always avoided politics.
In 2021, she twice turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of them offered by Trump himself.
Even so, he closed his message with a phrase that is already sweeping the entire country: “There has never been anyone like her, and there never will be”.
