Dolly Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives confirmed. The country music legend's nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, announced the news, with publicist Marcel Pariseau later stating: “After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.”
Parton, who turned 80 in January, faced many health complications over the decades. In recent months, these began to impact her ability to work. Just days before her death, Parton told People that she had been “dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to” while caring for her late husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.
Early Health Struggles and Endometriosis
Parton's health struggles began in the early 1980s, when she was “down for several months with female issues.” At the time, she suffered from major abdominal pain and haemorrhaging, leading to hospital stays and several surgeries. She was later diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. In 1982, Parton cancelled a tour due to her health for the first time.
In 1985, Parton underwent a partial hysterectomy aged 36, meaning she and Dean never had children. These physical health problems took a major toll on her mental health. In a 2017 interview, Parton revealed: “I was 35 when I first got sick. I went to the very bottom as far as my emotions and my health are concerned. I was getting away with murder. I wasn’t watching what I ate, I wasn’t conscious of nutrition, wasn’t taking care of myself. I was working hard, and underneath I was a pile of personal and emotional problems… All at once I fell apart.”
Later Health Issues and Final Months
Parton's physical health next impacted her work in 2008, when she postponed part of her US tour after bending over and “popping a disk” in her lower back. In 2015, she had kidney stones removed, revealing this information to shut down rumours that she had stomach cancer.
Over the last year, following the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Parton's health issues escalated. Last September, she pulled out of an event at her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood, citing kidney stones. Months later, she postponed her Las Vegas residency due to “health challenges,” and in May, it was cancelled altogether. Parton said at the time: “The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day. I’m doing really well, and they assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I’m going with that, and I just want you to know I thank you for standing by me and that I will always love you.”
Final Days and Hospitalisation
Parton appeared virtually at Dollywood earlier this month, telling attendees in a pre-recorded video: “Sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated. And so my Nashville doctor clipped my wings, saying you ain’t traveling this week.” One week later, she told People: “I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI. Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’.”
According to TMZ, Parton was admitted to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville with kidney and autoimmune issues five days before her death. She died at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.
