Country music icon Dolly Parton died at the age of 80, her nephew and former head of security Bryan Seaver announced on [Date]. The cause of death has not been provided.
Parton’s final public statement, shared on August 21, addressed ongoing health concerns she had previously set aside while caring for her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who passed away in 2024. In the statement, she noted she was dealing with health issues she had "just didn’t pay attention to" during her husband’s illness.
‘Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’,’ Parton said. ‘You know me — as I’ve often said — I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.’
Days before her death, Parton had canceled a scheduled appearance at the August 14 opening of a new ride at Dollywood, her theme park in Tennessee. In a recorded video message, she explained she was dehydrated and had been advised by her doctor not to travel. ‘So my Nashville doctor has kind of clipped my wings, saying, “You ain’t traveling this week,”’ she stated.
Her last in-person public appearance was in June 2024, when she made a surprise visit to the grand opening of Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee.
Parton, known for hits such as ‘Jolene,’ ‘9 to 5,’ and ‘I Will Always Love You,’ had previously postponed multiple engagements, including a planned Las Vegas residency, citing health reasons. While she did not specify the nature of her health issues, she acknowledged past struggles, stating: ‘It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.’
No further details about her passing have been released as of this report.