Dolly Parton takes over Spotify for the first time after her death as ‘Jolene’ reaches No. 1

Dolly Parton’s music has surged across streaming platforms following the country music icon’s death, with her songs dominating Spotify charts in the United States and internationally.

Parton became the most streamed artist in the United States on Spotify on Wednesday, August 26, one day after her representatives announced her death at the age of 80. It marked the first time she had reached No. 1 on Spotify’s US artist chart.

Her classic song “Jolene” also claimed the top position on the US Spotify songs chart. “9 to 5” followed at No. 2, while “Islands in the Stream”, her celebrated collaboration with Kenny Rogers, landed at No. 3. Parton placed 15 songs in Spotify’s US top 200 that day, showing the immediate scale of renewed interest in her catalogue.

Other major Parton recordings also climbed sharply. “I Will Always Love You” and “Coat of Many Colors” both entered the US top 10, while “Tyrant”, her collaboration with Beyoncé from Cowboy Carter, reached No. 83.

The reaction was not limited to the United States. Parton ranked as the No. 2 most streamed artist globally on Spotify on August 26, behind Bad Bunny. Her songs continued to dominate the international chart, with “Jolene” at No. 1 and “9 to 5” at No. 2. “Islands in the Stream” reached No. 4 globally.

The figures also reveal how dramatically listeners returned to Parton’s music following her death. According to Luminate data cited by Reuters, Parton’s songs received more than 35 million audio and video streams globally on the day she died. Her overall streaming activity increased by about 1,200% compared with the previous day, while “Jolene” approached 3 million streams in the United States.

Forbes reported that Parton’s US Spotify streams increased by 2,320% on the day of her death compared with her average daily streams during the previous week. Her global streams increased by 1,260%. “Jolene” experienced a 1,225% increase in US streams and a 630% rise globally, while “9 to 5” increased by 1,030% in the US and 630% worldwide.

Parton’s impact extended to other digital music services. On the US Apple Music chart, “Jolene” reached No. 1, followed by “9 to 5” at No. 2. “Islands in the Stream” ranked No. 4, while “I Will Always Love You” reached No. 5. Her albums also filled most of the top positions on the US iTunes album chart.

The renewed attention reflects the extraordinary reach of a catalogue built across nearly six decades. Parton wrote thousands of songs during her career and recorded enduring country classics including “Jolene”, “Coat of Many Colors”, “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You”. Reuters reported that she sold more than 100 million records and earned 11 Grammy Awards during her career.

Parton died in Nashville on August 25 after a brief battle with cancer, according to her family and representatives. Her death prompted tributes from musicians, actors, politicians and fans around the world, with many returning to the songs that defined different stages of her career.