Country music legend Dolly Parton, known for hits like "Jolene" and "9 to 5", has died at 80, her family announced on Tuesday (Aug 25).

“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” her publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said.

Parton was more than a singer - she wrote 3,000 songs, acted in major Hollywood films and donated millions of dollars to charities in her home state and beyond.

She was also an accomplished businesswoman, with her interests spanning from her popular Dollywood theme park to cosmetics, pet apparel, baking mixes and even a truck stop.

"Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus," her nephew Bryan Seaver said in a video announcing her death on social media.

He said the multiple award-winning artist - known for her glittering style, curvy figure and larger-than-life blonde wigs - had "opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life".

People magazine reported Parton was admitted to a cancer treatment facility Friday, and had acknowledged in a recent interview with the magazine that she was "dealing with some health issues". Her husband Carl Dean died last year.

A small private funeral service will be held, her representative told People magazine, encouraging fans to leave messages on her website.

Tributes quickly poured in for Parton, who won 10 Grammys and 13 Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards during her long career.

"May her legacy live on through her songs, the lives she touched, and the countless artists she inspired. There will never, ever be another one like her," the Grand Ole Opry, America's temple of country music, said on social media.

Her co-stars from the hit 1980 movie "9 to 5", which sparked her soundtrack smash, expressed their shock.

Oscar winner Jane Fonda said she was "devastated" while Lily Tomlin said only: "No words."

The news even sparked a rare moment of unity in a country often bitterly at odds over Donald Trump's presidency, the war against Iran and cultural issues.

Trump ordered the lowering of American flags to half-staff across the United States for a week, calling Parton's passing a "true loss for millions of people."

"There has never been anyone like her, and never will," Trump posted on his Truth Social network.

Democratic former president Bill Clinton called her "one of a kind".

New York's Empire State Building was to be lit later Tuesday in pink in the singer's honour.