Dolly Parton, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80, was hospitalized just days before her death, according to multiple reports.
The music icon’s cause of death has not been revealed, though her family said in a statement that Parton died “peacefully” on Tuesday. Parton herself revealed to fans earlier this month that she had “been through hard times with my health,” she told People, which included issues with her GI and kidney stones.
Her health decline followed the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, in March 2025.
According to TMZ, Parton was admitted to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Thursday night to treat “kidney and autoimmune issues.” The site reports that she died in the hospital on Tuesday morning.
On Friday, Parton spoke to People, acknowledging her health struggle and expressing her hope for the future. “As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” she said.
“You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ‘80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.”
She also insisted concerns over health scares and canceled performances were blown out of proportion.
“It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” she said. “But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago.”
Parton was hopeful that she still had plenty of time to see the rest of her dreams fulfilled.
“Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’!” she 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.”
On Tuesday, Parton’s family announced her death in a video posted to her official Instagram page, in which her nephew Bryan Seaver, who worked as her head of security for more than two decades, broke the news. “This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” Seaver says in the video.
“As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” he continued. “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness, but sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus—surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.”
The family said in an official statement that Parton’s was “a rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see,” and that “Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.”
