Tributes to Dolly Parton multiplied across Nashville and the wider music world on Thursday, two days after the country music icon died aged 80. The Grand Ole Opry and fellow artists prepared memorial events in her honour, with her nephew having confirmed her death earlier this week.

Parton, one of the best-selling recording artists in history, built a career spanning six decades that included hits such as "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You," the theme park Dollywood, and extensive philanthropy through her Imagination Library book programme. Her death drew statements from musicians across genres.

Country stars including Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks posted tributes, while radio stations dedicated programming to her catalogue. Staff at the Country Music Hall of Fame, of which Parton was an inductee, said the museum was seeing an influx of visitors leaving flowers and notes.

Representatives for Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, indicated that plans for public remembrances were being discussed. Streaming services reported surges in plays of Parton's recordings, and Tennessee's governor issued a statement praising her contributions to the state.

The scale of the response underscored Parton's rare standing as a figure embraced well beyond country music, from Hollywood to literacy advocacy circles worldwide.