"I've always believed that a part of my magic, if there was any, was the fact that I look so artificial — but I am so totally real," Parton said in 2001.

Known for her curvy physique, massive blonde wigs and skin-tight outfits that served her self-deprecating wit, she was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond — the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics.

The artist was a star performer in country music, and went on to become one of the genre's most recognizable and universally adored ambassadors to broader popular culture.

He was a First Avenue DJ whose deep crates and openness to new music made him a club mainstay for nearly 50 years.

Frank Beard, the drummer for ZZ Top, has died at 77. He passed away Tuesday at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, with family by his side.

David Rivkin also worked with Etta James, Lipps Inc., Fine Young Cannibals, and the Jets.

Glen Hansard, the Irish singer who won an Oscar for the musical movie Once and the led the bands The Frames and The Swell Season, died on Wednesday. He died following a motorcycle crash in Dublin.

Tyler died "unexpectedly" in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said Thursday in a statement on her website.

The record executive was instrumental in shepherding the successful careers of a number of monumental music stars, including Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, Billy Joel and Whitney Houston.

The fearless free-funk and jazz artist, a student of Ornette Coleman's Harmolodics concept, followed his unorthodox path to a singular five-decade career.