White House Lowers Flags To Half-Staff After Dolly Parton’s Death

Flags at the White House were lowered to half-staff Tuesday evening in a solemn tribute to country music legend Dolly Parton. President Trump ordered the gesture nationwide for one week following her death at age 80.

Parton died Tuesday in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives said. She was surrounded by loved ones at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. The singer had recently canceled a Las Vegas residency amid health issues.

Trump paid tribute to the icon, saying, “There will never be anyone like her, and never will.”

Parton rose from poverty in the Tennessee mountains to become one of the best-selling female artists of all time, with hits including Jolene, I Will Always Love You, and 9 to 5.

Beyond music, she built a lasting philanthropic legacy through her Imagination Library, which has distributed more than 300 million free books to children worldwide, and major donations supporting medical research, including early COVID-19 vaccine work.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, with many noting her rare ability to unite Americans through her music, humor, and generosity.