Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died. She was 80 years old.Known for her curvy physique, massive blonde wigs and skin-tight outfits that served her self-deprecating wit, she was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond - the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics.She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like "Jolene,” "Coat of Many Colors” and "I Will Always Love You,” that totaled more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams. Parton, who plucked bejeweled banjos, guitar and dulcimers with her long fingernails during performances, was a generous philanthropist and successful businesswoman whose projects included a theme park in the Smoky Mountain foothills near her birthplace.Her career was forever influenced by her upbringing as one of 12 children born into what she called a "dirt poor” Tennessee family. She started her education nonprofit, Imagination Library, to send free books to children in Tennessee because her father, who quit school to work on the farm, struggled to learn to read.Parton's first musical performances were in church, where her grandfather was a preacher. By age 10, she was learning guitar and singing on local television shows. At 13, she appeared on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, where Johnny Cash introduced her as "a little girl here from up in East Tennessee.”With a suitcase of songs, she followed her uncle, Bill Owens, also a songwriter, to Nashville after graduating high school in 1964. Fred Foster, who produced Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson and more, saw her potential and got her songs cut by other artists, as well as recording and releasing Parton singing her own material. By the mid-1970s, Parton was a Nashville queen.Parton's partnership with Porter Wagoner, a pencil-thin pompadoured star with flashy rhinestone outfits, was key to her career. She honed her acting skills on his syndicated TV show and he advocated for her to get a record deal at RCA. Their first duet, "The Last Thing On My Mind,” was released in 1967, the same year she started her own publishing company.While their duets were often big radio hits, Parton's solo singles didn’t chart as high at first. With Wagoner as a co-producer, she began to adjust her country warble to a more polished, pop-leaning style.She got her first No. 1 solo single with "Joshua,” and reached the Top 5 with the ballad "Coat of Many Colors,” about how her mother sewed together scraps of clothes to make a coat Parton wore "so proudly” even as her peers mocked her for being poor. The song, with its Biblical references and ode to maternal love, was later made into a children’s book and a TV movie.In 1973, she had the hit that made her career - "Jolene,” a country music standard with its steady, churning rhythm and Parton's repeated delivery of the title as she pleads for the woman not to steal her man.The song topped the country charts, crossing over to pop and later being released internationally, opening up new audiences for Parton. "Jolene” is one of her most covered compositions, including by Miley Cyrus (Parton’s goddaughter), Olivia Newton-John and The White Stripes.She left Wagoner’s show in 1974, amid reports of squabbling between the two, although they continued to record together and Wagoner stayed her producer for years after that. But the relationship turned litigious when Wagoner sued her in 1979 for millions in management fees and royalties.She followed "Jolene” with a huge hit in 1974, "I Will Always Love You,” an ode and farewell to Wagoner that helped her win the Country Music Association’s female vocalist of the year back-to-back in 1975 and 1976. She famously turned down Elvis Presley, who wanted to record it, because she would not share publishing rights.Decades later, Whitney Houston’s version of "I Will Always Love You” became a smash for the soundtrack of her 1992 film "The Bodyguard,” and broke sales records. Houston won a Grammy for her performance in 1994, presented to her by Parton."Here You Come Again,” a pop crossover hit and one of the few she didn’t write, further established Parton as a multi-genre entertainer and brought her first Grammy Award in 1979."A lot of people thought I had totally lost my mind,” she told The Associated Press in 1979 of changing her singing style. "But I had no fear of change. I expected success, but I was braced for failure. I didn’t care if people thought I was wrong. In my own heart, I knew I was doing the right thing.”Parton's other crossover hits included the title song from "9 to 5,” the 1980 comedy starring Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin; and her duet with longtime friend Kenny Rogers, "Islands in the Stream,” written by brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. In 1987, she collaborated with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris on the million-selling "Trio” album.For millions of fans, she was simply "Dolly,” a mixture of Southern charm, humor and glamour. But she was also considered a feminist role model for holding the reins of her own career, writing her own songs, owning her content and looking after her finances in an entertainment world dominated by men.American singer Dolly Parton poses on stage during a press conference to launch her new album, in London, Britain, June 29, 2023. Picture credit: ReutersParton was open to making fun of herself; when she hosted "Saturday Night Live” in 1989 she told the writers that her only restrictions were she wouldn’t curse and she wouldn’t make fun of Jesus. She regularly joked about her... dumb blonde appearance, but with a wink that she was the one controlling the laughs. In the memoir "My Life So Far,” Fonda remembered Parton's way with a wisecrack, "usually high raunch,” and a laugh that was "somewhere between a girl's giggle, an explosive shriek, and a cascade of little bells."After her gown split down the front when she won CMA's entertainer of the year in 1978, Parton quipped: "My Daddy said that's what I got for putting 50 pounds of mud in a five-pound bag.”Throughout her career, she embraced her glamorous style, often wearing custom curve-hugging rhinestone dresses and bodysuits even if they drew tsk-tsks from others in the industry. Her look was always a part of her larger musical business plan."I knew my songs were good even if I had been ugly as sin,” she told the AP in 2014. "So I thought, ‘Well, I would have probably chose to look this way even if I had been a waitress.’ I mean, this is my look. I mean, I like a lot of makeup. I like a lot of hair. I like flashy clothes. I like to show it off. But that’s just who I am.”She married Carl Dean, an asphalt paving contractor, in the mid-1960s; they were together until his death in 2025 at the age of 82. Though rarely seen in public, he was an influence on her career. She told NPR that she wrote "Jolene” about a flirty bank teller who seemed to take an interest in Dean.In her first major film role, Parton played alongside Fonda and Tomlin as office workers who rebel against their tyrannical boss in "9 to 5.” Critic Roger Ebert called her a "natural-born movie star” and the title song earned her two Grammy Awards and a ranking of 78 on the American Film Institute's list of top 100 movie songs. Starring roles in the "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas” and "Steel Magnolias” followed."I never thought of myself as a movie star," she told AP’s Bob Thomas in 1979. "I knew I'd be a star, but as a singer or as a writer of songs or books or poetry. I wanted to be a famous performer and wear flashy clothes, but singing in movies was not one of my ambitions. My family lived in the mountains and we didn't see movies.”Her love affair with TV and film continued for decades, with appearances alongside Cyrus on "Hannah Montana” and adaptions of her music for Christmas specials, films and streaming series. She also became an author, her books ranging from the memoir "Dolly” to a bestselling novel co-authored by James Patterson, "Run, Rose, Run,"The stage adaptation "9 to 5: The Musical” debuted in 2009, and "DOLLY: A True Original Musical” had been set to open in December 2026.Beyond her music, Parton’s most lasting legacy might be her generosity and broad appeal.When a deadly wildfire swept through the Smokies in 2016, she held an all-star telethon and set up a foundation that sent monthly checks to residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed.Singer Dolly Parton talks to the audience as she hosts the 35th annual Academy of Country Music Awards May 3 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City. File photograph. Picture credit: ReutersShe opened up her Dollywood theme park in East Tennessee, a major economic driver in Appalachia that draws tourists from around the country, and established the Dollywood Foundation. She wrote books and memoirs, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and was given a lifetime achievement award by the Recording Academy. She was selected for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2025.With 55 Grammy nominations and 10 wins, Parton is the third-most nominated woman in Grammy history, only behind Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.Parton spanned social and political divides, through multiple generations of fans, urban and rural and in between. In tumultuous election years, it wasn't uncommon to see "Dolly for President” shirts. But she was strict in not voicing her own political beliefs, often turning aside questions about presidents, candidates, policies and other controversies."I don’t do politics," Parton told host Jad Abumrad on his hit podcast "Dolly Parton's America.""I have too many fans on both sides of the fence. Of course, I have my opinion about everything, but I learned years ago to keep your mouth shut about things.”When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation sent out a ballot in 2022 with her name on it, though she said she felt she hadn't earned it, the voters answered with a "Hello, Dolly." Parton showed up to the induction ceremony, performed and then put out a rock album.

Dubai: Guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the emirate ranked first globally in the number of Greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) for the fourth consecutive year, according to the 2025 Financial Times Ltd.’s fDi Markets data, the world’s leading source of greenfield FDI data. Dubai has succeeded in attracting 754 projects, further cementing its position as a global hub for the creative economy and a leading destination for high-value investment.Among 233 cities tracked in the report, Dubai retained the top spot for Greenfield FDI in the CCIs, ahead of London, Singapore, Riyadh and Bengaluru. The achievement underscores the strength of Dubai’s enabling infrastructure and integrated cultural ecosystem and its capacity to attract exceptional talent and expertise from around the world.Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), said: “Guided by the vision of its leadership, Dubai has built an environment that gives creativity room to grow, enables talent to turn ambition into enterprise, and connects promising ideas with investment and opportunity. These results reflect the continued evolution of Dubai’s cultural and creative ecosystem and its growing contribution to the emirate’s broader economic and development ambitions. Over the years, Dubai has worked to create an environment where innovation and entrepreneurship can thrive together, enabling talent, ideas, and investment to intersect in meaningful and sustainable ways. “What is particularly encouraging is the diversity and maturity of the sectors driving this growth today; we are witnessing a clear shift towards industries connected to digital content, creative technology, artificial intelligence, and emerging creative services, reflecting how culture and creativity continue to evolve alongside technological and economic transformation,” Her Highness added.“These achievements also underpin the strength of the emirate’s long-term vision and commitment to building a creative economy that is open, dynamic, and globally connected. By continuing to invest in people and opportunities for knowledge exchange, Dubai is reinforcing its position as a leading centre for culture, innovation, and creative enterprise while creating new pathways for economic growth and talent development,” Her Highness emphasised. Jobs boostAccording to data from Financial Times Ltd. ‘fDi Markets’, Dubai successfully attracted 754 new projects in the cultural and creative industries sector during 2025, generating 19,304 new jobs. This performance, which is in alignment with the Dubai Cultural Statistics Framework,  surpassed London (227 projects), Singapore (197), Riyadh (157), and Bengaluru (132). Consequently, greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) capital inflows into the sector rose to $3.756 billion. Strong performance across sub-sectors Dubai also maintained its global ranking of second place in the index for foreign direct investment (FDI) capital inflows within the sector. These results reflect the emirate’s strong performance across the sub-sectors of the cultural and creative industries ecosystem, reinforcing its position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.This growth was driven by a wide range of sub-sectors, including advertising and public relations; specialised computer programming services; data processing and digital services; film, media and gaming industries; AI-powered creative technologies; creative education; professional services; design and architecture; crafts and cultural industries; performing arts and entertainment; museums and historical sites; and logistics services supporting the CCIs. India led the top five source countries for Greenfield capital inflows in 2025, contributing 19%, followed by the United States at 17.5%, China at 13%, Malaysia at 12% and the United Kingdom at 9%. The United Kingdom led in the number of projects at 21.5%, followed by India at 21%, the United States at 14% and France at 4%. Investor-friendly environment Dubai’s strong 2025 Greenfield FDI performance in the cultural and creative industries was supported by a competitive and investor-friendly environment combining full foreign ownership, efficient business setup, specialised creative and technology clusters, long-term residency pathways for talent, advanced digital and logistics infrastructure, and strong access to regional and international markets. These advantages, reinforced by the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy, enabled the emirate to attract investment across both core cultural activities and the wider creative value chain, including digital services, programming, advertising, business support, distribution and creative commerce.His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, said: “Dubai’s continued leadership in attracting new foreign direct investment projects within the cultural and creative industries, for the fourth consecutive year, reflects the vision of our leadership and the enduring confidence that Dubai inspires among global investors, entrepreneurs and innovators.”Future-ready business ecosystem“This achievement is underpinned by a dynamic ecosystem in which creativity, advanced technology and enterprise converge to create sustainable economic value, high-quality employment opportunities and new avenues for growth. Supported by world-class connectivity and a future-ready business environment, Dubai continues to provide an exceptional platform for creative industries to scale, innovate and succeed,” HE Almarri noted.“It also demonstrates the strength of the partnership between government and the private sector, whose close collaboration is unlocking opportunities across digital content, gaming, artificial intelligence, design and specialised creative services. These results advance the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, and further reinforce Dubai’s standing as a leading global destination for business, investment and innovation,” he added.Her Excellency Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture, said: “These indicators highlight the maturity of the emirate’s creative ecosystem and its capacity to generate opportunities that meet the ambitions of investors and the wider creative community, in line with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, and the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy.” “Dubai has successfully developed its creative sector into a vital economic contributor, characterised by strong growth potential and supported by an enabling environment that nurtures ideas and provides talent and entrepreneurs with access to facilities and opportunities that empower them to grow and scale their businesses,” she added.Hala Badri said the performance indicators underscore the value of anticipating trends in the cultural sector and continuously developing policies, strategies, and specialised initiatives that enrich cultural activity across the emirate. She reaffirmed Dubai Culture's commitment to fostering environments that encourage collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the conversion of creative projects into sustainable economic value.The index reflects the rapid shift in Dubai’s creative economy, moving from traditional cultural sectors towards industries centred on digital content, creative technology, artificial intelligence, and data-driven services. It also reaffirms Dubai’s success in consolidating its position as a global platform for business and investment in the CCIs, supported by its global connectivity, advanced business environment, and world-class infrastructure, which serve to open up regional and international markets for creative companies.