[Dispatch=Lee Myung-joo] The "Queen of American Country Music" Dolly Parton has passed away. She was 80 years old.

U.S. CNN reported on the 26th (Korean time) that "Parton passed away at her home in Nashville, Tennessee on the 25th, the previous day, following a battle with cancer."

Her niece mourned the deceased. Brian Seber posted on SNS that day, saying "Dolly lived in the light and now she is in Jesus's arms."

Parton had disclosed her health issues during her lifetime. In a video shot recently, she said, "I have not taken care of myself since my husband passed away."

Last month, she did not participate in the performance at the theme park "Dollywood," which she established. She told fans at the time, "I have been suffering from dehydration and dizziness."

Parton was one of the artists representing country music. She was also the first female country singer to have created most of her own hit songs.

Her representative song left behind is "I Will Always Love You." Parton reached No. 1 on the country chart with that song.

It was also performed as the Whitney Houston version. It was included in the OST of the film "The Bodyguard" (1992) and became a global hit. It held the top spot on the U.S. pop chart for 14 weeks.

Besides that song, the deceased left behind more than 3,000 songs. She composed songs including hymns for her mother and songs of encouragement for women, in addition to songs about love and breakups.

She also devoted effort to charitable activities. She established a library program that gifted over 300 million books. Through her foundation, she also lowered the high school dropout rate.

She also carried out relief activities. During the COVID-19 crisis, she provided vaccine development funds to Moderna. She also donated 1 million dollars for virus research purposes.

Meanwhile, Parton's funeral will be held privately. Only family members will attend to honor the deceased.

<Photo source=Dolly Parton SNS capture>