President Donald Trump ordered American flags lowered nationwide for one week beginning Tuesday evening in tribute to Dolly Parton, calling the country music legend’s death an irreplaceable loss and saying, “There has never been anyone like her, and never will.”
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
President Donald Trump has ordered the American flag lowered throughout the United States for one week in honor of country music legend Dolly Parton following her death at age 80.
Trump announced the tribute Tuesday in a Truth Social post, describing Parton as one of the greatest performers in country music and saying her death represented “a true loss for millions of people.”
“Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away,” Trump said. “This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you.”
Trump’s announcement honoring Parton came hours after members of her family publicly confirmed her death.
Parton, whose decades-long career produced some of country music’s most recognizable songs, including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” had recently disclosed that she was dealing with health problems.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver, the son of Parton’s sister Cassie Parton, announced her death in a video message and spoke on behalf of the Parton and Owens families.
“Hey everyone, my name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I am representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean,” Seaver said in the video. “Sister, sis, Aunt Granny to one generation, and Gigi to the next.”
Seaver focused his tribute on the opportunities Parton created not only for members of her own family but also for aspiring performers and songwriters who followed her career.
“Dolly opened doors, not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible. Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life, and across every continent. By her example, we believed that anything was possible,” Seaver said. “She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened, made and changed history.”
His video tribute followed a period in which Parton had spoken publicly about declining health and the treatments she was undergoing.
Just four days before her death, Parton told PEOPLE in an Aug. 21 statement that she had been coping with health issues she had neglected while caring for her husband, Carl Dean.
Dean died in March 2025 at age 82.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” Parton told the outlet. “You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.”
Parton also reflected on how public attention surrounding personal matters had changed during the social media era.
“Because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago,” she said.
Despite her health difficulties, Parton said at the time that she remained determined to continue working.
“Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’! You know me — as I’ve often said — I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep working as long as I can to see everything come to life,” Parton added.
Her health concerns had already resulted in significant changes to her performance schedule.
In May, Parton announced that she would not move forward with a planned Las Vegas residency that had previously been delayed by 10 months.
“I have some good news, and a little bad news,” Parton said in an Instagram post at the time. “The good news is, I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day.”
She said, however, that the treatment itself was affecting her ability to return immediately to live performances.
“The bad news is, it’s going to take me a little while before I’m up to stage performance level, because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy headed,” Parton said.
The precise health condition Parton had been treating was not identified in the information released publicly.
Her death prompted Trump to order one of the most visible national forms of official mourning, directing flags across the country to be lowered beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday and remain lowered for one week.
The president’s tribute emphasized Parton’s reach beyond country music and the unusually broad affection she accumulated during her career.
Parton became one of the most recognizable artists in American music through a catalog that spanned generations, while her songwriting, performances and public persona extended her influence far beyond the country genre.
Her nephew’s remarks similarly portrayed Parton’s legacy as extending beyond individual recordings or awards, emphasizing the example she provided to singers, musicians, songwriters and other aspiring artists around the world.
With flags ordered lowered nationwide, the federal tribute will continue for one week as fans, fellow entertainers and members of Parton’s family commemorate the life and career of one of country music’s most enduring figures.
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