American flags at home and abroad will be lowered to half-staff for a week in honor of Dolly Parton, the legendary country singer who died Tuesday at 80 years old.
President Donald Trump ordered the lowering of the flags on the day of her passing as a “mark of respect” for her memory, directing all flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House, public buildings and grounds, military posts and naval stations and naval vessels throughout the U.S. and its territories and possessions until sunset on Sept. 1.
Alongside those locations, Trump decreed that American flags would be flown at half-staff at all U.S. embassies, legations, consular officers and other abroad facilities, which include military installations, naval vessels and stations, according to a presidential action.
“In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM,” Trump wrote in a Tuesday social media post.
Parton, who is known for her successful music career and philanthropy, died in Nashville, Tennessee, her nephew Bryan Seaver announced in a video posted to the icon’s Instagram account.
“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family,” a message says on Instagram with a picture of Parton that reads, “I will always love you.”
Parton’s publicist Marcel Pariseau told CNN that the singer died after a “brief battle with cancer” and was admitted at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
During her storied 60-year career, Parton spent time performing for American troops in support of the military community.
In 1991, Parton visited troops at Fort Hood, Texas, during Operation Desert Storm. The singer landed a picture of herself on a KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling aircraft at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee, in September 2004.
The following year, Parton performed at the Grand Ole Opry in support of the Department of Defense’s “America Supports You” campaign, with the feed being broadcast across 177 U.S. military stations, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.
More recently, Parton was also a participant in the USO Military Virtual Programming series in December 2022, allowing deployed service members and their families to chat with her virtually.
A half-staff American flag notification says that the American flags will be returned to full-staff at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.
