A Final Health Update and a Public Farewell

Dolly Parton, the country music icon, died at age 80 on Tuesday, August 25. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the news in a video shared on social media, FOX 4 News reported, citing TMZ. No cause of death was provided.

Just days before her death, Parton spoke to People magazine on Friday, August 21, in what HuffPost described as her final interview. In that conversation, she acknowledged that she was dealing with health issues she "just didn't pay attention to" while caring for her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in March 2025. "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, as quoted by ABC7 Los Angeles and other outlets.

Parton also addressed concerns about her health with characteristic humor, joking that she had gone from being the "Queen of the Tabloids" to the "Queen of Social Media AI." "Seriously, though, even though I'm still healin', I'm still workin'!" she told People, a quote carried by ABC7, HuffPost, and others. She added that she had "dreamed myself into a corner" and intended to keep working "as long as I can to see everything come to life."

A Series of Health Challenges

Parton's death followed months of public health struggles. In May, she canceled her Las Vegas residency, citing health concerns. In a video posted to Instagram on May 4, she said, "The good news is I'm responding really well to meds and treatments, and I'm improving every day. Now, the bad news is it's going to take me a little while before I'm up to stage-performance level," as reported by TODAY and FOX 4 News.

Earlier this month, Parton was scheduled to attend the opening of the NightFlight Expedition attraction at Dollywood on August 14 but appeared virtually instead. She explained in a video that her doctor had "clipped my wings" and advised against traveling, as ABC7 and others reported. "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," she said.

Parton's last major in-person public appearance was in June, when she attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, on June 24. Page Six reported eyewitness accounts that she seemed "very happy," "not in pain at all," and "her trademark happy, spunky self." Another attendee, Brooks Ramsey, told Page Six she "seemed fine" and "still had the same kind of energy" she always had.

In October of the previous year, Parton had posted a video saying "I ain't dead yet" in response to rumors about her health, as reported by ABC7. Her sister also requested prayers for her in a Facebook post, according to multiple outlets.

Hospitalization and Final Resting Place

According to TMZ, as cited by MassLive and other outlets, Parton was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Friday, August 21, with kidney and autoimmune issues. She died at the hospital on Tuesday morning, FOX 4 News reported, citing TMZ.

Parton will be laid to rest beside her husband, Carl Dean, at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, according to a TMZ report cited by FOX 4 News. Bryan Seaver told TMZ that Parton will be buried wearing high heels and a cotton dress. The couple married in 1966 and were together for nearly six decades. Dean died in March 2025; his cause of death was not made public.

Tributes and Legacy

Parton's death prompted tributes from around the world, as reported by Bristol Post and other outlets. Her nephew Bryan Seaver, who announced her death, said in a video: "The sadness lays with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus," as quoted by Us Weekly. He added that she "opened doors for generations" and asked that donations be made to the Imagination Library, Parton's literacy charity.

Parton, an 11-time Grammy winner, was still working on a Broadway musical, "Dolly: A True Original Musical," set to open next year, as well as a hotel and museum in Nashville. In one of her last messages, she said she planned to be "in New York as much as I can be" during rehearsals, HuffPost reported, adding "good lord willing and the creek don't rise."