Recent Deaths Sept. 2026

The entertainment industry dealt with the deaths of five prominent entertainers in late August, the most notable of whom was singer and actress Dolly Parton. 

Parton died on August 25 at 80 years old following a battle with cancer. She died in Nashville, Tennessee, surrounded by family and loved ones. Her death came after a career that lasted more than six decades and included music, film, television, etc. 

Tim Curry, an actor and singer known for the Rocky Horror Picture Show, died August 25th at 80 years old due to coronary artery disease. Curry also appeared in movies and television shows including Clue, Annie, and Muppet Treasure Island. He also worked as a voice actor throughout his career. 

Voice actor Peter Cullen, best known as the voice of Optimus Prime in the Transformers movie, died August 26 at 85 years old due to malignant neoplasm (a cancerous tumor) in the lower lobe of his lung. Cullen provided the voice of the character for decades and also voiced Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, along with many other animated characters.

Actress Hayden Panettere died earlier in August at 36 years old. She was known for her roles in the television series Heroes and Nashville, and appearances in the Scream series.

Actress Carla Jeffery, known for her role as Bree in Disney Channel's Zombies movie also died recently at 33 years old. Jeffery appeared in many other television shows, including Shake It Up, Good Luck Charlie and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Born in Tennessee in 1946, Parton grew up in a large family and began performing at a young age. She moved to Nashville shortly after graduating from high school and began building a career as a songwriter and performer. Throughout her career, she wrote thousands of songs and recorded more than 100 million records.

“I was really sad to hear about Dolly’s passing because I grew up with her as an icon. A few years ago my sister turned me onto a podcast series that took you through her professional life which was really interesting. I love how she’s so fun and playful but she’s very serious about what she does too and she’s not afraid to make fun of herself,” NHS English teacher Michelle Toby said. 

Some of Parton’s most recognized songs include, “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.” She received 11 Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement award, and was brought into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. 

Parton also had a successful acting career. She starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the 1980 movie 9 to 5. She was in movies like Sweet Magnolias. and made guest appearances on television shows, including Hannah Montana. Through her music and acting, she became known by people of many different generations. 

“I love Dolly Parton as an artist and a person. I never heard of any story where she was an unkind person. She did a great thing with the library. Dolly is a great song writer and she used her intense wealth to help so many people and most of it we don’t even know,” NHS Chemistry teacher said, “She’s a great example of how to be a public figure… As a music fan I’ve been thinking about Willy Nelson who is 92 and I have been playing his stuff on the radio because I want to play him while he’s still here, but I thought I had more time with Dolly.”

In addition to her entertainment career, Parton was involved in business and caring for others. She opened Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1986. The park later became a major tourist attraction in the state. Parton’s work with children was another part of her career. In 1995, she founded Dolly Parton’s imagination library, a program that provides free books to children. The program has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children in several countries.

Although the entertainers had different careers and worked in different areas of the industry, their deaths brought attention to the number of well known performers who have died recently.