Lily Tomlin Mourns Death of ‘9 to 5’ Costar and Longtime Friend Dolly Parton: ‘No Words’

Lily Tomlin is mourning the loss of her longtime friend and 9 to 5 costar Dolly Parton following the country icon’s death at age 80.

In an Instagram tribute on Tuesday, August 25, Tomlin, 86, shared a glamorous black-and-white throwback photo of the pair together. “No words…” she captioned the image, adding a broken heart emoji.

Tomlin and Parton’s friendship spanned more than four decades after they starred alongside Jane Fonda in the hit 1980 comedy 9 to 5, which marked Parton’s feature-film debut.

The trio maintained a close bond in the decades that followed, with Parton even making a special guest appearance as an angel in the 2022 series finale of Tomlin and Fonda’s Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie.

They later reunited professionally when Parton joined fellow music legends Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Debbie Harry to record “Gonna Be You” for Tomlin and Fonda’s 2023 movie 80 for Brady.

News of Parton’s death was announced Tuesday in an emotional Instagram video by her nephew Brian Seaver, who spoke on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.

The “Jolene” singer’s death came after a difficult period of personal loss: Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died in March 2025, while her brother Coy “Denver” Parton died on July 23 at age 82.

Despite the heartbreak she endured in her final years, Parton continued working and remained connected to the friends she made throughout her legendary career — including the women who helped make 9 to 5 one of her most enduring big-screen hits.