Country music icon Dolly Parton died peacefully at the age of 80 in Nashville on Tuesday after a “brief battle with cancer,” her reps announced.
In a statement to People, her team wrote: “Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there 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. 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 concluded.
The type of cancer was not disclosed.
Parton was hospitalized Friday with kidney and autoimmune issues and died peacefully in Nashville, a rep previously announced. One of her nephews, Bryan Seaver, recorded a video at her request that can be seen here, which was posted to her Instagram account.
Eleven days before her death, Parton appeared via video link, instead of in person, for the opening of NightFlight Expedition, a new ride at her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee.
“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 in the video, which featured butterfly wings flapping behind her. “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 revealed in September that she was postponing a set of Las Vegas concerts to deal with “health challenges.” Days later, she said she would miss the Governors Awards, where she was to receive the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in November. In the months before her death, the beloved singer of countless country classics had put on a brave front, telling her fans that she was doing OK.
“I have some good news and a little bad news. But the good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day,” she said in a video announcing the postponements. “Now, the bad news is that it’s gonna take me a little while before I’m up to stage performance level because some of the meds and treatments make me a little swimmy-headed, as my grandma used to say.”
Last week, Parton acknowledged that she had neglected her health as she looked after her husband of nearly 58 years, businessman Carl Dean, who died at age 82 on March 3, 2025. She told People on Friday, “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”
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