Dolly Parton, who rose from a loving if impoverished upbringing in the mountains of East Tennessee to become the “Queen of Country” music, a Hollywood star and a beloved American icon, has died, her family announced on Tuesday.

Parton was 80. Her death comes after Parton suddenly announced in May 2026 that she was canceling a Las Vegas show and said she’d been undergoing treatment for kidney stones for several years.During her more than 60-year career, Parton sold more than 100 million records and won 11 Grammy Awards, making her one of the bestselling musical performers of all time.

Parton also became a star on the silver screen, gaining a whole new audience and critical acclaim when she brought her Southern charm to movies like “9 to 5” (she wrote and sang the theme song), “Steel Magnolias” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” Parton was also a shrewd businesswoman who amassed an estimated $650 million fortune and maintained creative control in the cutthroat and male-dominated music industry. She presided over an entertainment empire that included the Dollywood theme park. And she was a devoted philanthropist who launched the Dollywood Foundation to provide poverty relief and fund educational programs in her native East Tennessee.

During the ’70s, America was one of the most successful bands around. With four Top 10 albums and six Top 10 singles, including 1972’s iconic “Horse With No Name,” the trio was riding high (through the desert and beyond).

Unfortunately, after bassist Dan Peek left the band, remaining members Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley entered a period of…well, not as much success. So, with an eye towards landing themselves back on the charts, Bunnell and Beckley hired songwriter Russ Ballard.

Ballard knew how to write a popular song. When he was with the band Argent, he penned “Liar,” which was a hit for Three Dog Night; he was also the creative force behind classics like “God Gave Rock and Roll to You” (Kiss), “New York Groove” (Ace Frehley) and many others. Ballard provided Bunnell and Beckley with the comeback hit they so desperately needed: “You Can Do Magic.”

“Russ had written ‘Winning’ for Santana, and he was now quite successful as a sort of songwriter for hire,” Beckley explained in an interview with Songfacts.

“So we heard it and thought, ‘That’s really good,’” he continued. “He’d obviously put the ‘Do-Do-Do-Dit-Do’s’ into the song, which I would have given a nod to CSN [Crosby, Stills & Nash], because we certainly didn’t have any claim to that kind of a vocal thing. But that was put in there to appeal to us.” According to Beckley, “we made a couple of chord changes, but basically took it as he wrote it. And it was very successful — it fit right into our body of work. It was a huge hit and a turning point for us, because it was a hit for Dewey and I, after Danny departed. It was our first hit as a duo.”

“You Can Do Magic” was, indeed, magic for America. The song peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 16, 1982. While Beckley was, of course, thrilled, he hadn’t necessarily expected the track to do as well as it did.

“That’s always hard to say,” he admitted. “I always try to put it into, ‘How happy are you with the results?’ I would never be so presumptuous as to think, ‘OK…clear out that bank account, here it comes!’”

Hopefully Beckley’s bank account was big enough to accommodate America’s surprise hit.

Former Queen bassist Barry Mitchell has died. Mitchell was Queen’s second bassist, after Mike Grose, and played 13 gigs with the band between August 1970 and January 1971 before leaving because he “wasn’t enthusiastic enough about their music”. After leaving Queen, Mitchell went on to play with Tiger, a proto-punk band formerly known as Crushed Butler, which disbanded in late 1971.

Mitchell’s death has been met with tributes from friends and fans on social media. Gary Taylor wrote: “RIP Barry Mitchell, Queen’s second bass player, who sadly passed away on August 17th.

‘He was a great guy, and a friend, and we had some very interesting chats over the years on the phone and in person.”

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Hollies announced their complete retirement from live performances via Instagram. This brings an end to a road run that matched The Rolling Stones for pure longevity. The decision stems from an emotional pact between the band’s last two classic-era members. Lead guitarist Tony Hicks, 80, who joined in early 1963, made the difficult choice to step away due to health reasons. Following, drummer Bobby Elliott, 84, who also joined the band in ’63, refused to continue without his lifelong bandmate.

The band shared the following message in an official statement. It read, “Due to health reasons, Tony has decided to step away from touring.” The statement continued, “Out of respect for Tony and everything they have shared throughout their remarkable journey together, Bobby has also decided to retire from touring. After more than six decades, The Hollies’ touring career will come to a close with immense gratitude to the fans who have supported them around the world.” Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, the Manchester-born group persevered through original singer Allan Clarke‘s exit and Graham Nash‘s high-profile departure to co-found Crosby, Stills & Nash. Through line-up changes and eras, Hicks and Elliott remained the beating heart of the live show, and The Hollies remained one of the few early-1960s British acts to tour virtually every year for over six decades. For millions of classic rock fans who grew up on the band’s rock anthems like “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” “The Air That I Breathe,” “Bus Stop,” and “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress),” the decision marks the bittersweet close of a legendary era. Beyond the charts, the band’s three-part harmonies and songwriting shaped the very DNA of modern pop-rock.

Sixty years is an unprecedented run for any band, but the choice for The Hollies members to step away together makes their final live bow feel complete. By prioritizing their bond over one last tour, Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott leave behind a friendship and performance legacy that will forever live in rock music infamy.

Frank Beard, the longtime drummer whose unmistakable rhythm helped power ZZ Top for more than five decades, has died. 

Beard, 77, died August 17 following a stay in hospice, according to the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner, TMZ reported on Tuesday, August 18. His death came shortly after serious health problems forced him away from the band’s ongoing tour.  ZZ Top confirmed the news on Instagram, sharing a tribute from Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top’s frontman, guitarist, and lead vocalist. alongside details on how the band plans to move forward. “Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top,” Gibbons wrote. A cause of death was not immediately known.

Details surrounding Beard’s final illness remain limited. The drummer had stepped away from performing in recent weeks as concerns about his health grew.

His condition reportedly led to ZZ Top’s August 5 cancellation at the Hollywood Bowl.

Village People singer Victor Willis died on June 30, and his official cause of death has been revealed. He was 74 years old at the time of his passing.

Willis’ wife, Karen Willis, shared a post on Facebook, saying that he died of primary liver cancer with metastasis. Willis was a member of the popular disco group, having famously co-wrote hit songs including Y.M.C.A.,” “Macho Man,” “Go West” and “In The Navy.” In July, his Village People bandmates came together and honored the singer in a very heartfelt tribute, all showing up to the funeral dressed and ready as if they were going to perform a show. Following his death, many tributes poured in, including from President Donald Trump, who said he would think of Willis every time he hears the song “Y.M.C.A.” Trump shared a message on social media following news of his passing, remembering him as ” a great and happy guy.”

A rock album released 50 years ago is suddenly climbing the charts again, adding another chapter to an already staggering run.

Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) by the Eagles has re-entered Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart at No. 23, five decades after the blockbuster collection first arrived.

Released on Feb. 17, 1976, the compilation brought together songs from the Eagles’ first four studio albums, including “Take It Easy,” “Witchy Woman,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Desperado,” “One of These Nights,” “Take It to the Limit” and “Best of My Love.” Nine of its 10 tracks had been released as singles, and all but “Tequila Sunrise” reached the Top 40.

The album’s latest chart appearance comes during a milestone year. In January, Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) became the first album in U.S. history to earn quadruple Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, representing 40 million certified album units.For an album that became one of the most successful releases in music history, Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) had surprisingly unceremonious beginnings.

Manager Irving Azoff told Rolling Stone that the thinking was straightforward: “We decided it was time to put out the first greatest-hits because we had enough hits.”

But guitarist Don Felder told The Times of London that the band members had no say in releasing the compilation, while drummer/singer Don Henley objected to taking songs such as “Desperado” and “Tequila Sunrise” out of the context of their original albums.

“It’s that typical corporate thinking. All the record company was worried about were their quarterly reports. They didn’t give a s–t whether the greatest hits album was good or not, they jsut wanted product. It’s what was so frustrating, the forced and hideous marriage of art and commerce. They didn’t make good bedfellows, as far as we were concerned,” Henley famously said in the 2004 book “To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles.”

The band ultimately saw one upside: The release gave them additional time to work on Hotel California, which followed later in 1976.Whatever the band’s reservations were, listeners had other ideas.

Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and climbed to No. 1 the following week, beginning a five-week run at the top. Decades later, it has accumulated more than 500 nonconsecutive weeks on the chart.The collection also captured the period when the Eagles went from a successful California rock band to one of the biggest acts in America.

“Best of My Love,” written by Henley, Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther, became the Eagles’ first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 in March 1975. According to music historian Fred Bronson in “The Billboard Book of Number One Hits,” the song had initially entered the chart at a modest No. 83 before becoming the band’s first chart-topper 13 weeks later.Later that year, “One of These Nights” gave the Eagles their second consecutive No. 1. The song also marked the harder, more R&B-influenced direction the band was pursuing on the album of the same name, with producer Bill Szymczyk taking over after the group’s earlier work with Glyn Johns.

Both songs eventually landed on Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), alongside another enduring track from that era, “Take It to the Limit.”

Written by Randy Meisner, Henley and Frey, “Take It to the Limit” reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rock critic Dave Marsh later included it in “The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made,” ranking it No. 830 and, despite his famously prickly assessment of the Eagles, conceding that the song was “a good example of how their music worked.”

The compilation’s remarkable commercial life has now stretched across half a century. It was the first album ever awarded Platinum certification by the RIAA in 1976 and, in January 2026, became the first to reach 4× Diamond status in the United States.

And 50 years after its release, it’s back on a Billboard chart yet again.

The 36-year-old actress renowned for her starring roles in Heroes and Nashville, passed away on August 16, 2026. She was found unresponsive after suffering cardiac arrest at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. Emergency services were dispatched to the Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville, South Carolina, just before 2:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, August 16. An acquaintance found Panettiere unresponsive and placed a 911 call. Released preliminary autopsy findings from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office indicated that “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death”. While obtained 911 dispatch audio showed emergency personnel initially responding to a suspected “overdose,” an official cause and manner of death remain pending toxicological and additional studies. Authorities from the Greenville City Police Department stated that the preliminary investigation shows no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. Panettiere’s father, Skip Panettiere, released a statement to ABC News remembering her as “an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her.” Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya.

Legendary singer Rod Stewart is canceling the last month of his farewell tour after he underwent a heart procedure, his representatives said. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 81, was recovering from a recent “routine coronary stent procedure,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Stewart, who has four No. 1 hits and 16 top-10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, had been scheduled to be on the road through Sept. 5 and had six Las Vegas residency dates set for late August, Deadline reported.

“Doctors are pleased with his recovery, and Rod is doing very well and has returned to his normal daily activities,” representatives for the Grammy Award-winning singer said in a statement. “On the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage. Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to continue his current tour dates.” Stewart also released a statement, saying that he was already feeling better and was “very much on the mend,” Entertainment Weekly reported.

“I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone who has taken such wonderful care of me,” Stewart said. “I’m deeply disappointed to miss these shows and sorry to let my fans down, but I look forward to getting back on stage and having a good time with you all again soon.”

Before Linda Ronstadt became one of the defining voices of 1970s rock, she was turning heads as the lead singer of the Stone Poneys.

One of the group’s most memorable recordings, “Up to My Neck in High Muddy Water,” arrived in March 1968, when Ronstadt was just 21 years old. Released several months before her 22nd birthday that July, the energetic rock song showcased the confidence and vocal power that would soon propel her to solo stardom.”I never wanted to be anything but a singer,” Ronstadt told Route Magazine. I thought that I would be singing at pizza parlors or Holiday Inns, or something like that. As long as I could make a living as a singer… I didn’t have an ambition when I started.

The song followed the success of the Stone Poneys’ breakthrough hit, “Different Drum.”Still only 21, Ronstadt was establishing herself as one of the most promising young singers in American music. Within just a few years, she would embark on a solo career that produced classics such as “You’re No Good,” “When Will I Be Loved,” and “Blue Bayou,” earning multiple Grammy Awards and becoming one of the best-selling female artists of her generation.

Joan Jett has postponed two September performances after undergoing surgery for a fractured vertebra, while preparations continue for the 45th anniversary reissue of her landmark 1981 album I Love Rock ‘N Roll later this month.The announcement was made through Jett’s official social media channels on Wednesday, confirming that she will be unable to perform at concerts scheduled for Costa Mesa, California on 5 September and Louisville, Kentucky on 24 September.Despite the temporary interruption to her touring plans, Blackheart Records is continuing with the scheduled release of the 45th anniversary edition of I Love Rock ‘N Roll on 28 August. The expanded edition will be available on CD and opaque sky blue vinyl.