Dolly Parton, one of country music's most singular performers, has died at age 80

The artist was a star performer in country music and went on to become one of the genre's most recognizable and universally adored ambassadors to broader popular culture.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2746x2060+0+320/resize/2746x2060!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc4%2F0e%2Fdec8d1404c1bafe540f226de23a4%2Fgettyimages-86103215.jpg' alt='In her songs, stage banter and interviews, Dolly Parton always presented herself as a humble, yet audacious mountain dreamer made good.'/><p>The artist was a star performer in country music and went on to become one of the genre's most recognizable and universally adored ambassadors to broader popular culture.</p><p>(Image credit: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-3650175' />