Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 following a short battle with cancer, her representatives have confirmed. Prior to her passing, the country music legend was struggling with health issues that were "much worse" than she let on, according to insiders, while she grieved her late husband Carl Dean.
Health Issues Hidden While Grieving Carl Dean
Dolly had admitted on Friday, August 21, that she neglected her own health while caring for and "watching over" Carl, who died in March of last year after nearly 60 years of marriage. She told People magazine: "I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn't pay attention to when I was watching over Carl."
The Jolene hitmaker added: "It's not like I haven't been through hard times with my health. But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn't years ago."
Final Months at Home in Tennessee
Dolly was set to attend the grand opening of a new ride at her Dollywood theme park but couldn't make it due to health concerns. In a pre-recorded video, she said: "I've told you before, all my fans, that I've had a few little health issues and sometimes I get a little dizzy and I get dehydrated. And I'm dehydrated. So my Nashville doctor has kind of clipped my wings, saying, 'You ain't traveling this week.' So I guess if your doctor tells you, 'You ain't traveling this week,' you ain't traveling this week."
She had already been open about issues with digestion and kidney stones. However, insiders claimed she put on a brave face for fans and "didn't want them to worry," becoming increasingly reclusive and secretive about her health in recent months. One source told Daily Mail: "Her health problems were much worse than she was willing to tell fans, obviously, and she was bad off for many months. She didn't want the world to know that she was very sick."
Hospitalisation and Final Days
Another source suggested only her family knew "what she was going through," saying: "It's true his [Carl's] death took its toll severely on Dolly, but she's been sick and receiving treatments for months."
Dolly was reportedly hospitalised on Friday and passed late on Tuesday, August 25. Sources claimed that when she gave her People interview she "knew her life was almost over," adding: "She tried to reassure her legions of fans that she wasn't critically ill. But she knew her time was almost up. She was being her brave Dolly self, not wanting to let her fans down."
One source told Daily Mail that the singer "didn't really leave her home in Tennessee for the past year" and mostly "stayed inside." Her final days were reportedly spent in bed, and she "tried to be brave" for her last public appearance at the ribbon-cutting of her newly opened Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop. She had turned down invites "left and right" as she was "too sick to do anything."
The country legend is said to have worked on DOLLY: A True Original Musical, an autobiographical Broadway show based on her life. She sought comfort in those closest to her when her cancer worsened. Her goddaughter Miley Cyrus was allegedly "shell-shocked" by the news, having frequently performed with Dolly and appeared with her on Hannah Montana.
