Dolly Parton's Posthumous Plans Revealed, Including 2027 Broadway Musical
Country music icon Dolly Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the age of 80, following what her team described as a brief battle with cancer. According to NME, her longtime manager Danny Nozell said in a statement that Parton "worked until the day she passed" and had spent recent years building, with a hand-picked team, a roadmap of projects meant to "guide us for decades to come." Among them: a musical set to open on Broadway on January 19, 2027 — her 81st birthday.
Team says unreleased material was personally approved
Nozell said several projects were at various stages of development when Parton died, and the team chose to make that known publicly. He added that any unreleased music, merchandise, books, experiences or marketing campaigns released through official channels in the future can be trusted to have her personal approval.
Parton had spoken publicly about her health in recent months. In an update posted last week, she said she had set aside her own health concerns while caring for her husband of 58 years, Carl Dean, who died last year. Reports last week also indicated she had been exploring "avatar performances" as a way to continue appearing before fans.
Projects still in motion
Her team disclosed the major initiatives that were underway at the time of her death:
- Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stops (a chain of travel/rest stops)
- Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel
- Dolly Dolls
- Dolly's Life Of Many Colors Museum (opening September 29)
- Dolly's Cup Of Ambition Coffee
- Dolly's Dog Treats
- Dolly Bedding & Home Decor
On the screen and stage side, the musical DOLLY: A True Original Musical On Broadway is confirmed to open on Tuesday, January 19, 2027 — Parton's 81st birthday. Also in development are an avatar-based stage performance, a biopic, a documentary series and a scripted series, with further details promised soon by her team.
What hasn't been announced
The source does not specify a Broadway venue, ticket pricing, on-sale dates, or further details on the avatar performance, biopic, documentary series or scripted series — the team has only said more will be revealed in the near future.
Tributes
Following the news, tributes poured in from Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Elton John, Mick Jagger, Cyndi Lauper, Oprah, Barbra Streisand, Jack White, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kelly Clarkson, Debbie Harry, Shania Twain, Barack Obama and Beyoncé. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered flags flown at half-staff nationwide for a week.
NME's obituary, written by Jordan Bassett, recalled Parton's 2014 Glastonbury performance and the moment before she sang her 1971 country classic "Coat Of Many Colors," when she spoke about her mother hand-sewing the coat.