Dolly Parton's Heartbreaking Final Post: Country Music Icon Celebrated Major Milestone for Hit Song Just Days Before Her Death at 80
Dolly Parton shared a heartfelt final Instagram post a week before her death.
Aug. 25 2026, Published 2:25 p.m. ET
Just one week before her shocking death at 80, Dolly Parton shared an endearing performance video with fans that would tragically become her final social media post, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Parton's nephew, Brian Seaver, made the devastating announcement on August 25 that the Jolene singer died just days after she shared a video celebrating the 43rd anniversary of her hit duet Islands in the Stream with the late Kenny Rogers.
Dolly Parton's Final Post Celebrated Music Milestone
Dolly Parton's final post celebrated her hit duet with Kenny Rogers
Parton shared a lively video performing the hit song alongside Rogers back in the day, celebrating its release on August 15, 1983.
"43 years of 'Islands In the Stream!' 💖 @_kennyrogers," the simple caption read.
The beloved duet was a monster hit for Parton and close pal Rogers, soaring to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 while also conquering the country and adult contemporary charts.
Rogers died on March 20, 2020, at the age of 81 from natural causes.
Fans Raved to Dolly Parton About How Much the Song Meant to Them
Fans shared their fond personal memories of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' iconic duet.
Fans from around the world flooded the comments telling Parton how much the song meant to them.
"We used to listen to this in the car in NZ on cassette tape in the 80s. Love it, so uplifting," one follower from New Zealand gushed.
"Is it strange that I remember watching this performance on your variety show when it aired?" a second fan noted about Parton's variety show on ABC that ran for one season from September 1987 through May 1988.
"Takes me back to my childhood," a third user shared, while a fourth told Parton, "Just listened to this as I was checking today. She is such a blessing to this earth! Wish I just was able to meet her. Pure and graceful."
Dolly Parton Said She Was Having 'Hard Times With My Health' Days Before Death
Dolly Parton opened up about having health issues just four days before her passing.
Fans had been keeping tabs on Parton's social media, hoping for updates that her health was improving, after she recently admitted to suffering from health issues following the March 2025 death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean.
“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl," the 9 to 5 star told People in an interview published on August 21.
Parton confessed she had been having "hard times with my health," but cited other instances of powering through, including a time in the 1980s when she was "down for several months with female issues."
“But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’," Parton proudly noted.
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An 'Honor" Mixed With 'Absolute Pride and Great Sadness'
Dolly Parton's nephew broke the news about the legend's passing at the age of 80.
Seaver did not go into what caused the death of his beloved aunt, but revealed that Parton asked him to do the video announcement about her passing "years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. 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.”
The son of Dolly's sister Cassie added: “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 to meet her in the heavens."
