Dolly Parton spent a lifetime dreaming big, and even in her final days, the country music legend wasn’t finished.

Just four days before her death at age 80, Parton spoke about the health struggles that had slowed her down — and the dreams that continued to push her forward.

“I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve,” Parton told PEOPLE. “So I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”

Parton died Tuesday, Aug. 25, according to her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who announced the news in a video on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.

“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” Seaver said. “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.”

For Parton’s family, her Christian faith offers comfort in their grief.

“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens,” Seaver said.

That reference to Carl carries special weight. Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died in March 2025. The couple married in 1966, long before Parton became one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world. Dean largely avoided the spotlight while quietly supporting his wife’s extraordinary career.

Parton later described his death as a loss that could only be understood by someone who had experienced it.

“He will always be in my heart and in my memories,” she said in 2025.

Born into poverty in the mountains of Tennessee in 1946, Parton was one of 12 children. Music and faith were part of her life almost from the beginning. She started singing in her grandfather’s church as a child, began writing songs at 7 and headed to Nashville after graduating high school.

Her songs ultimately took her far beyond the mountains.

Parton became one of country music’s defining voices, creating classics including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.” She won 11 Grammy Awards and earned induction into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her personality proved just as enduring as her music, helping her cross generations and genres while remaining unmistakably Dolly.

But some of her greatest accomplishments never appeared on a music chart.

Parton founded the Imagination Library, inspired in part by her father’s inability to read and write. The program grew from providing books to children in her Tennessee hometown to distributing millions of free books around the world. Her philanthropy, humor and willingness to help others became as much a part of her public identity as the rhinestones and towering blond hair.

Through it all, Parton spoke openly about her belief in God. When health problems forced her to postpone performances in 2025, she told fans she wasn’t retiring because “God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet.”

That attitude remained with her until the end.

Years earlier, Parton admitted that one of her few worries was running out of time before fulfilling all her dreams. But even then, she was thinking beyond her own lifetime.

“I wake up with new dreams all the time,” she said. “But I put them in a place where they can continue, even after I’m gone.”

That may be one of the most fitting ways to remember Dolly Parton.

The little girl who sang in a Tennessee church lived long enough to see dreams bigger than she could have imagined come true. And through her songs, generosity, faith and the millions of lives she touched, many of those dreams will continue long after her passing.

Rest in peace, Dolly. Thank you for your boundless creativity, your profound kindness, and the endless joy you brought into the world. Your light will forever illuminate the lives of those who were touched by your extraordinary gifts.