How Did Dolly Parton Die? Everything to Know About The Country Music Legend's Death at 80
Dolly Parton revealed she was suffering from several health issues in the days before her death.
Aug. 25 2026, Published 5:29 p.m. ET
Dolly Parton gave several hints that her health was failing in the days leading up to her death at the age of 80, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Just four days before Parton's nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the legendary entertainer's passing in a video on Tuesday, August 25, the Here You Come Again songstress shared that she was having "hard times" physically.
Dolly Parton Revealed She Was Having 'Hard Times With My Health'
Dolly Parton shared that she was 'dealing with some health issues' just days before her death.
Parton revealed in an interview published by People on August 21 that she'd recently endured some “hard times with my health,” admitting some of her struggles stemmed from neglecting her own well-being while caring for beloved husband Carl Dean, who died at age 82 in March 2025.
"I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl," she confessed to the outlet.
Parton also pulled out of appearing in person at the August 14 grand opening of her Dollywood amusement park's newest ride, NightFlight Expedition.
In a taped video, the 9 to 5 star apologized to fans that she was still in Nashville and unable to make the 200-mile trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, under doctor's orders.
Dolly Parton Shared She Was 'Dizzy' and 'Dehydrated' in Days Before Death
Dolly Parton appeared heavily filtered while telling fans in a pretaped video that she wasn't able to travel to Dollywood for a new ride's opening.
“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 explained in the TikTok video.
"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 shared.
The Islands in the Stream hitmaker was still upbeat, telling fans, "All is going well on the medical end of things, and I continue working away on all of our other projects," including her Life of Many Colors Museum in Nashville and the upcoming Broadway musical about her remarkable life.
Although Parton's official cause of death has not been announced, according to TMZ, Parton was hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Thursday for ongoing "kidney and autoimmune issues."
Dolly Parton Has Several Major Projects Going Forward After Her Death
Dolly Parton wrote all the music and lytics for her upcoming Broadway musical about her life.
Even though Parton didn't live to see her life story portrayed on the Great White Way, the show is going forward.
"As was Dolly’s wish, the Broadway production of Dolly: A True Original Musical will begin previews on December 7 at the St. James Theatre in New York City," a spokesman for the show shared after the announcement of the icon's passing.
Parton wrote the music and lyrics for the show, including past hits and new songs to tell her life story.
The 11-time Grammy winner's sprawling 20,000-square-foot museum, housed inside her new SongTeller Hotel in Nashville, is also due to open in the fall of 2026, showing how busy Parton was in the final months of her life.
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'Dolly Has Lived in the Light'
Dolly Parton's nephew delivered her death announcement on August 25.
Parton's nephew revealed that the "video announcement is something Dolly asked of me 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."
Seaver noted, "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."
