Country Music Queen Dolly Parton Makes History Days After Her Death

This week, the news of Dolly Parton‘s death at 80 shook the music world. Friends, fans, and collaborators have taken to social media with an outpouring of love and sweet sentiments about her lasting impact, generosity, and unforgettable personality. Following her death, her legacy continues to thrive, as it will for generations to come: the country queen’s catalog just earned a new accolade.

Just days after the legendary singer’s death, Parton makes history by becoming the first artist ever to occupy the entire Top 10 of US iTunes without new music. Overall, she’s reportedly the third artist to reach the feat, joining Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj (who both had released new music at the time).

With a stunning near-eight-decade-spanning career, the musical icon has released over 1,000 songs, with ten of them standing out among fans on iTunes: “Hard Candy Christmas” (No. 10), “There Was Jesus” (No. 9), Brad Paisley‘s “When I Get Where I’m Going” (No. 8), “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” (No. 7), “Coat of Many Colors” (No. 6), “Here You Come Again” (No. 5), “Islands in the Stream” (No. 4), “Jolene” (No. 3), “9 to 5” (No. 2), and unsurprisingly in the top spot at No. 1, the powerful and emotional ballad “I Will Always Love You.”

Notably, Whitney Houston‘s 1992 cover of the track for The Bodyguard was ranked the No. 1 greatest Dolly Parton cover of all time by Ranker.

Dolly Parton becomes the only artist in history to occupy the entire Top 10 of US iTunes with different songs 🩶 pic.twitter.com/tyL0ynb0ts

— TheGrandeTop10 ꕤ (@TheGrandeTop10) August 27, 2026

As Parade previously reported, Parton’s nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, revealed the news of her death in a video shared to her official Instagram account on Monday, Aug. 25.

“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” Seaver said. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”

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

Following the announcement, reps confirmed to People that she died after a “brief battle with cancer.” The type of cancer was not revealed.

Next, 1975 Country Classic, Written With a Secret Double Meaning, Ranked Among ‘Dolly Parton’s 10 Greatest Songs of All Time’