Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 and her cause of death has been confirmed.
The Jolene singer died four days after she was admitted to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville on Friday.
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” her team said in a statement to PEOPLE.
The type of cancer was not made public.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the news of her death in an Instagram video. Days before her death, Dolly had said she had “so many things I want to achieve” – despite achieving so much.
The country music legend had experienced several serious health problems during her life. Just four days before her death, she told PEOPLE that she was still dealing with ongoing issues.
Dolly explained that she had neglected her own health while caring for her husband, Carl Dean, before his death in March 2025. She said: “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”
Dolly’s health increasingly affected her public commitments during the final year of her life.
Dolly Parton’s kidney stones
In September 2025, she missed an event at Dollywood after a kidney stone caused an infection. Her representative later told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that kidney stones and a related procedure had stopped her from performing.
The singer also postponed several Las Vegas concerts after doctors said she needed several procedures. In May 2026, Dolly cancelled her Las Vegas residency as her recovery continued.
In a video shared that month, she said medication and treatment had helped her improve. However, their side effects left her feeling “swimmy-headed” and unable to reach the standard she wanted on stage.
Dolly also revealed that her immune and digestive systems had become “out of whack” over the previous few years. Doctors were working to strengthen both, she said.
In August, she pulled out of another Dollywood appearance after experiencing dizziness and dehydration. She told fans that her Nashville doctor had stopped her from travelling that week.
TMZ later reported that Vanderbilt University Medical Center admitted Dolly on August 20 with “kidney and autoimmune issues”. That reported admission came five days before her death.
Endometriosis and surgery in the 1980s
Dolly experienced severe abdominal pain and haemorrhaging during the early 1980s, according to Page Six. The problems led to several hospital visits and procedures.
She cancelled a tour in 1982 as her condition worsened and later received an endometriosis diagnosis. The condition can cause severe pelvic pain and fertility problems.
According to an interview with Closer Weekly, Dolly underwent a partial hysterectomy in 1985. She later spoke openly about how the operation meant she could not carry children.
She told TODAY: “I can’t have children physically. I love children. I don’t know that it also wasn’t God’s will, you know for me not to have kids. I mean, I try to look at things in a way that I can put them in a proper place because somebody has to be out there doing something to entertain other people’s children.”
Dolly’s depression and mental health struggles
The physical problems coincided with a serious period of depression. In an interview originally published by Ladies’ Home Journal, Dolly said she had reached “the very bottom” with both her health and emotions.
Speaking to CBS News in 2004, she described the depressive period as lasting between 18 months and two years. She also rejected the idea that success protected famous people from mental illness.
“People don’t realise that we, we meaning people in show business, have the same problems as everyone else,” she said. “Money doesn’t change that. Fame doesn’t change that.”
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