Music legend Dolly Parton shared an update on her health just days before her death at age 80, her family announced on August 25.
Parton's death was announced by her nephew via video on Tuesday. No cause of death was provided.
Days prior, on August 21, Parton shared a statement with People magazine indicating she was taking time to address health issues that she had overlooked while caring for her late husband, Carl Dean. "Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’! 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,” Parton stated.
Earlier in August, Parton was scheduled to attend the opening of a new ride at her Dollywood theme park. However, she shared a recorded video message instead, explaining her absence. "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 said in the video. “So my Nashville doctor has kind of clipped my wings, saying, ‘You ain’t traveling this week.’"
Parton's last major in-person public appearance was in June, when she made a surprise appearance at the grand opening of a gas station and restaurant named Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee. This appearance followed her cancellation of a Las Vegas residency in May, which she cited as being due to ongoing health issues.
In a May 4 video announcement, Parton elaborated on her health, stating, "My immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past couple three years, and they're working real hard on rebuilding [and] strengthening those, and hopefully I'll be up to snuff again soon."
Last October, Parton posted a video to clarify rumors about her health after her sister asked for prayers. Parton stated at the time that she was "a little under the weather" and not seriously ill. She explained that during her husband's illness, she had neglected her own health. "When I got around to it, the doctor said, 'We need to take care of this, we need to take care of that,'" she said, adding that her health issues were "nothing major" but required her to be near Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment. A source close to the situation told ABC News at the time that Parton had been dealing with kidney stones.