The film saw Parton nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars
A ‘masterpiece’ Dolly Parton comedy has been added to Netflix just days after the iconic singer’s devastating death.
The Jolene singer passed away on Tuesday, August 25, after what her representatives described as a ‘brief battle’ with cancer. She was surrounded by family and friends at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville.
Parton, who was 80, had spoken candidly in recent months about a number of health issues that had forced her to cancel and postpone public engagements, including a planned Las Vegas residency. Just days before her passing, she disclosed that certain health concerns had gone unattended while she was devoted to looking after her husband.
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She lost her husband Carl Thomas Dean in March 2025 following an unspecified illness. The couple had been married for nearly 60 years.
Speaking after being compelled to withdraw from an appearance at Dollywood, Parton said: “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl. It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health. But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago.”
Parton is to be laid to rest alongside her beloved husband. A small group of the singer’s family members congregated at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville over the weekend.
Prior to her passing, Parton had decided against a huge public send off, instead opting for an intimate goodbye attended solely by those nearest and dearest to her. “At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family,” her family said.
It has yet to be confirmed whether Friday’s (August 29) gathering was the funeral itself. But Page Six reports that relatives arrived bearing flowers while police and security personnel were stationed around the cemetery.
With fans around the world listening to her music as a coping mechanism, many are beginning to take a look at her filmography. On top of her music achievements, Parton was nominated for two Academy Awards.
Nominated for Best Original Song in 2005 for ‘Travelin’ Thru’ from Transamerica, the film which landed Parton her first Oscar nomination has just been added to Netflix. Also the name of one of her best songs, it’s an essential watch for any Parton fan.
Released in 1980, 9 to 5 is directed by Colin Higgins, who would go on to work with Parton again on The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Higgins, who died of AIDS-related illness in 1988, at the age of 47, is also known for writing Harold and Maude.
Parton, in her film debut, stars alongside Hollywood legends Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the film that many households stick on during the Christmas period. Also starring in 9 to 5 is You’ve Got Mail’s Dabney Coleman, The Addams Family’s Elizabeth Wilson and Dr. Strangelove’s Sterling Hayden.
It tells the story of three working women who live out their fantasies of getting even with and overthrowing their company’s autocratic vice president, who is played by Coleman. In order to do this they decide to kidnap him and run his business on their own.
Costing just £10 million to make, 9 to 5 was a massive hit for 20th Century Fox, grossing over $103.3 million. On top of this, the success to the title track launched Parton into mainstream pop culture.
Despite critics at the time only giving it a score of 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, 9 to 5’s legacy has been colossal. A TV show based on the film ran for five seasons in the 1980s, and a musical stage adaptation with new songs written by Parton opened on Broadway in 2009.
As fans and musicians from all around the world continue to mourn Parton’s loss, now is the perfect time to discover or revisit why Parton could have become one of the film industry’s greats if she didn’t have a music career to go back to.
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