President Donald Trump ordered American flags lowered to half-staff nationwide for one week to honor country music legend Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 80.
Trump announced the tribute on Truth Social, writing that Parton was “one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, tagging her death a “true loss for millions of people.”
“In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one-week period beginning tonight at 6:00 p.m. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you,” the president wrote.
Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in a video shared on the singer’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The 11-time Grammy winner had struggled with health issues over the past year, and in May she told fans she had “good news and a little bad news,” saying she’d experienced problems with her immune and digestive systems, as well as ongoing kidney stones, without disclosing a specific diagnosis.
At Parton’s request, only a small private service will be held for immediate family, and her team has asked fans to pay tribute on social media or through donations to her Imagination Library literacy program in lieu of flowers.
Parton carved out a singular place in American life over her decades-long career, becoming an unexpected feminist icon known for her rhinestones and signature blond bouffant.
She was one of five honorees at the Kennedy Center in 2006, and had reportedly turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom three times twice during Trump’s first term, citing her late husband’s illness and the COVID-19 pandemic, and once under President Biden, when she said she wanted to avoid any appearance of partisanship.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee remembered her as someone who reached the height of fame while retaining a rare, genuine humility.
