Dolly Parton through the years, in photos: From ‘9 to 5’ secretary to ‘Hannah Montana’ godmother
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Dolly Parton in 1978. Parton sold more than 100 million records and won 11 Grammy Awards in her 60-year career. Harry Langdon / Getty Images Photo Dolly Parton through the years, in photos: From ‘9 to 5’ secretary to ‘Hannah Montana’ godmother The beloved “Queen of Country” died Tuesday at 80.
And until she died Tuesday at age 80, the Queen of Country’s life unspooled in photograph after photograph, turning the poor little girl with the angelic voice from eastern Tennessee into one of America’s most beloved — and recognizable — figures.
It was country singer Porter Wagoner who first introduced Parton to a wider audience when he invited her in 1967 to appear on his hit TV show.
By 1974, Parton was out on her own, and her signature public image — the blond wigs, the cleavage-baring outfits that showed off her hourglass figure — was cast in stone.
Soon Hollywood beckoned, and Parton took it by storm, winning a Grammy for her single “Here You Come Again” and appearing in a string of hit movies that eventually earned her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984.
Bubbly and witty, Parton was also a must-book guest on the small screen: She made more than 400 television appearances, performing on variety shows hosted by the likes of Cher and Mac Davis, and charming late-night and daytime hosts ranging from Johnny Carson and his successor, Jay Leno, to Oprah Winfrey and Conan O’Brien.
Parton also hosted not one, but two TV variety shows, both called “Dolly,” which millions of Americans tuned in to watch.
And in 1989, she even took a turn at hosting “Saturday Night Live,” where, during the opening monologue, the running gag was her cracking jokes while the cameraman was unable to focus on anything but her bosom.
Her duets with performers ranging from Elton John and Kenny Rogers to Miley Cyrus spanned the generational divide; she became the rarest of performers — one whose fan base expanded as she grew older.
With the acclaim came the awards, the invitations to give commencement speeches, the honorary degrees, the chance to perform before thousands of fans at big-time sports events.
But there was a part of Parton’s life she mostly kept hidden from America’s prying eyes, the part she is said to have cherished most — her nearly 59-year marriage to her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.
Dean almost never appeared in public with his famous wife and, as a result, there were very few photos of them together available to the public.
“I’ve kept [my marriage] very personal and sacred and I try to keep my husband out of the business,” she said in an interview . “That’s not what he chose to do, he just happened to love me and I love him enough to not expose him to it.”
Dolly Parton, top right, and her family at Christmas in 1960. Parton was the fourth of 12 children. MediaPunch Inc / Alamy Stock Photo Dolly Parton with Porter Wagoner at RCA Records in 1971. Courtesy Dolly Parton Dolly Parton in 1977. Parton topped the country charts for the first time in 1974 with “Jolene.” Paul Natkin / Getty Images file Dolly Parton sang "Love Is Like a Butterfly" on the Macy's Turkey float during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1975. NBC Dolly Parton and Cher in 1978; Oprah Winfrey and Dolly Parton in 1987. Getty Images Dolly Parton with Miley Cyrus in 2019; Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton in 1986; Elton John and Dolly Parton in 2005. Getty Images; AP Dolly Parton in 1980. George Rose / Getty Images file Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in the film "9 to 5," which was released in 1980. Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images From top left, clockwise, Dolly Parton in "9 to 5," "Dolly," "Rhinestone" and "Sounds Like Home." Getty Images; NBC Dolly Parton at Dollywood in 1987. As a businesswoman, she maintained creative control of her music and presided over an entertainment empire that included the Dollywood theme park. John Seakwood / Disney via Getty Images Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Dolly Parton, Jon Lovitz and Phil Hartman on "Saturday Night Live" in 1989. NBC Dolly Parton performs on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1992; she receives an honorary doctorate by Carson-Newman College in 1990. NBC; Getty Images Dolly Parton and Jay Leno in 1996. Margaret C. Norton / NBC Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025. dollyparton.com Kennedy Center Honorees Steven Spielberg, Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Zubin Mehta in 2006. Scott Suchman / WireImage Dolly Parton duets with Kermit the Frog on "Good Morning America" in 2012. Donna Svennevik / Disneyvia Getty Images Dolly Parton's organization Imagination Library donated her book "Coat of Many Colors" as the 100 millionth book to the Library of Congress collection in 2018. Andrew Harnik / AP file Dolly Parton and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus in 2022. Vijat Mohindra / NBC Dolly Parton performs with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders during halftime in 2023. Jerome Miron / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Dolly Parton in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2025. Jason Kempin / Getty Images file Share Add to Google Corky Siemaszko Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.
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