Dolly Parton Dies at 80: CBS and CMT Set Tribute Specials as Broadway Musical Continues

The world lost an entertainment icon this week as Dolly Parton passed away on Tuesday at her home in Nashville at the age of 80. A country music superstar, celebrated actress, and one of the most beloved public figures in American culture, Parton’s death sparked a wave of tributes across television, music, and beyond — with CBS and CMT quickly announcing specials honoring her extraordinary life.

CBS and CMT Lead the Tribute Broadcasts

CBS News will air A CBS News Special: Dolly Parton — An American Icon on Tuesday evening at 10 p.m. ET, with Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil commemorating her life alongside a team of the network’s journalists, including senior culture correspondent Anthony Mason and a correspondent reporting from Dollywood in Tennessee. The special features excerpts from a 2009 60 Minutes interview with Morley Safer and a 2023 CBS News Person-to-Person interview with Norah O’Donnell, offering viewers a chance to see Parton in her own words.

CMT is also preparing tribute programming celebrating the country legend, recognizing a career that spanned more than six decades and produced 11 Grammy wins and countless timeless hits. The coordinated tributes across multiple networks underscore how deeply Parton was woven into the fabric of American entertainment — from her earliest days on local radio and television to her status as a global household name. Broadcasters knew audiences would be looking for a place to remember her, and they moved quickly to provide it.

Her Broadway Musical Continues — ‘As Was Dolly’s Wish’

Even in mourning, her creative legacy moves forward. In a statement to Variety, the producers of Dolly: A True Original Musical confirmed the production will open on Broadway “as was Dolly’s wish.” Previews begin December 7 at the St. James Theatre in New York City, with opening night set for January 19, 2027 — what would have been her 81st birthday.

The musical tells the life story of the country-pop superstar and had its world premiere in Nashville in the summer of 2025 as “Dolly: An Original Musical.” It heads to New York with music by Parton, a book by Parton and Maria S. Schlatter, and Tony winner Bartlett Sher in the director’s chair, with choreographer Mandy Moore continuing from the Nashville run. “We’re thrilled to show that rhinestones were never her whole story,” Sher said when the project was announced. It’s a fitting tribute that the show she cared so deeply about will still find its way to the Great White Way.

A Career Like No Other

Born into poverty in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Parton rose from a family of twelve children to become one of the best-selling artists of all time. Her songs — including “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and the Oscar-nominated “9 to 5” — became cultural touchstones. She was also a natural performer on screen. Her film debut came in the 1980 workplace comedy 9 to 5, where she co-created the story and starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and she earned widespread acclaim for her turn in the 1989 ensemble classic Steel Magnolias, a film that has become a fixture in homes during the holidays for generations.

Beyond the cinema, Parton brought her warmth to television repeatedly. Her annual holiday special — the 2022 family favorite Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas — became appointment viewing for families across the globe, mixing her music with sentimental, small-town storytelling. Documentaries chronicling her rags-to-rhinestones journey have found eager audiences, including the 2024 portrait Dolly Parton: Bigger Hair, Bigger Heart, which took a closer look at the woman beneath the wigs and rhinestones. Her streaming-era projects introduced her to a whole new generation of viewers who grew up with her on demand.

The Tributes Roll In

The outpouring of love has been immediate and enormous. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, her 9 to 5 co-stars and longtime friends, remembered her as a “loyal friend,” with Fonda saying, “I never knew anyone like her.” The Empire State Building illuminated its tower lights in a “pink sparkle” in her honor, and President Donald Trump ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff to mourn her passing. Tributes also poured in from Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, and countless performers who cited her as an inspiration, while the genre she defined closed ranks to celebrate one of its very best.

Dollywood, the theme park and resort she built in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, will reopen Wednesday “as Dolly wanted,” continuing a spirit of resilience that defined her entire life. The park, which Parton poured her heart into, has become a pilgrimage site for fans and a testament to her business acumen and generosity.

A Legacy That Endures

Parton’s influence extended well beyond music and film. Her Imagination Library has gifted more than 200 million free books to children worldwide, and her philanthropy touched causes from literacy to disaster relief. She remained a unifying figure in an increasingly divided era — a woman whose travel trailer, rhinestone costumes, and disarming wit endeared her to fans of every generation and political persuasion. She understood that fame was a tool, and she used it relentlessly to do good.

Looking back, it’s striking how fully she controlled her own narrative across six decades. She wrote most of her biggest hits, owned her publishing, built her own theme park, and kept the business side of her empire tightly in her own hands long before it was fashionable for female stars to do so. That independence — the same streak that let her reinvigorate a classic like “9 to 5” on her own terms — is part of why she was so universally respected by her peers, not just beloved by fans. Reba McEntire, who followed in her rhinestone footsteps, and every country star who came after, owe Parton a debt that’s hard to overstate.

For fans who want to revisit Parton’s magic, there’s plenty to rediscover. Her holiday specials, the documentaries that capture her improbable rise, and the classic sitcoms and dramas she touched remain available to stream and revisit. Country music’s enduring legacy is also worth exploring — from her contemporaries to the concert film honoring genre legend Willie Nelson, there’s a rich catalog of what made this music so beloved. And for those who never got around to it, her music — the soundtrack of countless lives — is the most fitting memorial of all. Whether it’s the wry office comedy of her movie debut or the heartfelt ballads she sang for sixty years, her work remains as vibrant as the day it was made.

As the tributes air across CBS and CMT this week and her Broadway musical prepares to open next January, one thing is certain: Dolly Parton’s light isn’t going anywhere.

Rest in peace, Dolly. We will always love you.