Dolly Parton‘s private cancer battle has been revealed following the heartbreaking news of her death at the age of 80 on Tuesday.
The legendary country singer’s death sent shockwaves through the music world and came after months of health woes that saw her pull out of a string of public appearances, fueling fan fears for her wellbeing.
Those close to the singer said she had both became increasingly reclusive and secretive about her own ill health in recent months.
And now, Parton’s representatives revealed that the Jolene singer died following a ‘brief battle with cancer‘ in a statement to People, though they did not disclose what type of cancer it was.
‘Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched,’ the statement read.
‘After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.’
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Dolly Parton’s private cancer battle has been revealed following the heartbreaking news of her death at the age of 80 on Tuesday; Pictured in 2016
Her representatives also highlighted the extraordinary reach of Parton’s ‘unmatched generosity’, noting that she touched the lives of countless people she would never meet and was always ready to ‘offer a helping hand.’
‘Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.’
Despite her cancer battle, the hitmaker remained optimistic and leaned on her deep Christian faith for strength in the last few months.
‘From the time that Dolly Parton was born, she was surrounded by faith, by God, by Jesus. Her grandfather was a preacher. Even in her Broadway show, she shows how much faith means to her,’ a source told People.
‘And so it’s natural for people of faith to believe that God is in control. It doesn’t matter what doctors may say, people may say. It’s not over until God says it’s over. I think she lived every day working and as long as God hadn’t called her home, she was here and she had more work to do.’
Parton previously told the outlet that she prayed every day in a 2020 interview: ‘To me, it’s my salvation. It helps me through everything.’
Following news of Parton’s secret cancer battle, fans took to social media to mourn the singer.
‘Dolly helped kids and adults with cancer only for it to come for her. May we get rid of cancer soon,’ one wrote.
‘I understand why she wanted to keep this private but it hurts all the same, especially since it feels so sudden,’ another added.
‘Are you kidding me?! She was doing so much! She was doing all that work while battling cancer?’
‘It’s always cancer, I am so sad,’ another fan wrote.
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Parton’s representatives confirmed the country superstar’s death in a statement to People, sharing that the Jolene singer died following a ‘brief battle with cancer’; Pictured in 2025
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‘After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,’ the statement read; Parton is seen in Nashville in March 2025
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Concerns about Parton’s health had loomed for months, with the pop culture icon frequently dispelling her fans’ fears; Parton pictured 2023
Following news of Parton’s secret cancer battle, fans took to social media to mourn the star. ‘She was doing so much! She was doing all that work while battling cancer?’ one fan wrote
The iconic star’s death was first confirmed Tuesday in an Instagram video posted by her nephew Bryan Seaver, who also acted as her head of security.
She died Tuesday morning after being hospitalized Friday at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center with autoimmune and kidney problems, according to TMZ.
As news of the beloved star’s rapidly deteriorating condition spread, her loved ones raced to Nashville to be by her side, but not all were able to reach her while she was alive.
‘This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,’ Seaver said.
He hailed his aunt for having ‘lived in the light’ and said she was now ‘in the arms of Jesus’ and the company of her late husband Carl Dean, as well as her parents and ‘countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.’
Parton, who is often referred to as the Queen of Country, enjoyed an illustrious music career that spanned an incredible six decades and was arguably best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5.
Seaver fondly recalled joining Parton on tour when he was a child in the 1980s, sharing that she ‘opened doors not just for me but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible.’
He characterized her as ‘a farmer, just like her daddy. He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.’
Family insiders indicated that a private service for close friends and relations will be held in Nashville within the next few days.
In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had declared she still had ‘so many things I want to achieve’ and vowed to continue ‘working as long as I can to see everything come to life,’ via People.
She also admitted she had recently been having ‘hard times with my health.’
‘I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,’ she said, referring to her late husband, who passed away in March 2025.
Concerns about Parton’s health had loomed for months, with the pop culture icon frequently dispelling her fans’ fears.
She pulled out of multiple public appearances, including a residency in Las Vegas and the opening of a new ride, NightFlight Expedition, at her Dollywood theme park.
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The singer’s death was first confirmed in an Instagram video posted by her nephew Bryan Seaver, who also served as her head of security
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Parton looked energized and happy in her last public appearance before her passing, as she discussed her ongoing ‘health issues’ with fans 11 days ago
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Aside from video appearances, Parton was last seen out and about on June 24 when she attended the grand opening of her truck stop, Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop
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Parton is pictured in her final Instagram post, which was uploaded August 12
The star was supposed to attend the ride’s grand opening on August 14. Instead, a video recording of the star addressing her fans was shared on a screen at the park, which is now regarded as her last public appearance.
‘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,’ Parton said in the video message.
The songstress, donning a bright pink top adorned in gems and enormous butterfly wings, looked energized and happy as she discussed her ongoing ‘health issues’ with fans.
‘I’m still in Nashville, and I’m sorry about that,’ she said in the clip. ‘I’m supposed to be there in person like we planned.’
She explained that she ‘sometimes gets a little dizzy’ and ‘dehydrated,’ which is why she couldn’t be there in person.
‘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,’ she said.
She reassured her fans that she was still hard at work on projects like her new museum, Life of Many Colors, in Nashville, her new hotel and Broadway show, Dolly: A True American Musical.
She also insisted that ‘all was going well on the medical end of things.’
Earlier this year, Parton told her fans that she was responding to medication, but the treatment made her feel ‘a little swimmy-headed,’ and she needed time to heal before getting back on stage.
Last October, the hitmaker’s younger sister, Freida Parton, worried fans when she asked for prayers for Parton.
However, hours later Freida returned to Facebook with an update, sharing she didn’t mean to ‘scare anyone’ and adding that Parton has ‘been a little under the weather.’
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Parton, often referred to as the Queen of Country, enjoyed an illustrious music career that spanned an incredible six decades; Pictured in 1987
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Parton, seen performing in London in 1983, won eleven Grammy Awards and three Emmy Awards in her lifetime
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Parton’s famous hits include Jolene, 9 to 5, and I Will Always Love You
She added that it wasn’t her intention to ‘make it sound so serious’ and that she made her earlier public appeal simply because she believes in ‘the power of prayer.’
Parton’s death was greeted with a flood of tributes, including from Reba McEntire, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pedro Pascal, Khloe Kardashian, Hillary Clinton and more.
President Donald Trump also paid tribute to Parton and ordered American flags lowered nationwide for one week in her honor.
The songstress died just over a year after her husband, whom she had been married to for nearly 60 years.
In her tribute at the time, Parton reflected on the ‘many wonderful years’ they spent together as she expressed her deep love for Carl and thanked fans for their prayers.
‘Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,’ she said. ‘Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.’
Parton and Dean first met at a laundromat in Nashville in 1964, when she was just 18. They married in 1966, and Dean remained a constant and supportive figure for Parton behind the scenes.
The fourth of 12 children, Parton was born in Pittman Center, Tennessee, on January 19, 1946.
She and her siblings – Willadeene, David Wilburn, Coy Denver, Bobby Lee, Stella Mae, Cassie Nan, Randel Huston ‘Randy,’ Larry Gerald, twins Estel Floyd and Freida Estelle, and Rachel Ann – were raised in the Great Smoky Mountains where they slept on beds made of straw and lived with no running water, gas or electricity.
Having developed a love of music at an early age, Parton sang frequently on the local radio and made television appearances in East Tennessee as a child before releasing her first single, Puppy Love, at the age of 13.
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News of Parton’s death has also left her goddaughter, popstar Miley Cyrus, devastated; The two pictured in 2019
In 2008, Parton told NPR that her 1973 song Jolene was partly inspired by a local bank teller who used to flirt with her late husband.
Parton’s 1974 hit, I Will Always Love You, was written about the experience of cutting ties with her former business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner as she set her sights on pursuing a solo career.
The song reached the top spot of the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: first in June 1974, then again in October 1982.
Parton famously refused to let Elvis Presley record his own version after his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded she sign over half of the publishing rights.
She was vindicated in her determination to retain the rights when Whitney Houston recorded the song for her 1992 film The Bodyguard, whereupon it became an thunderous international hit that carried the soundtrack album to 18 times platinum.
Parton went on to write and record the song 9 to 5 in 1980 for the comedy film of the same name, in which she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
The track, which she wrote on set by clicking her nails together and forming the beat, became one of her biggest hits of the decade. It went on to win numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Country Song of the Year and Female Country Vocal of the Year at the Grammy Awards.
News of Parton’s death has also left her goddaughter, popstar Miley Cyrus, devastated.
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Parton gushed about her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, in her last interview, admitting that she had not paid attention to some of her health problems while caring for him
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Dean died in March 2025 at the age of 82. They were married just two months short of 59 years
‘Miley is, as you’d expect, shell-shocked by the news,’ a source told the Daily Mail.
Parton, who never had children, shared a particularly close relationship with Cyrus, appearing on her Hannah Montana TV show and later singing alongside her for various special musical performances.
Now, attention will inevitably turn to the extraordinary fortune and business empire Parton leaves behind.
Her net worth has regularly been estimated at between $450 million and $650 million, built through music royalties, songwriting, film and television, books, investments and her stake in the Dollywood empire.
Details of her will and estate plan have not been made public.
