Dolly Parton kept her cancer diagnosis from many of her family members before her death last month, according to her sister Stella Parton. Stella Parton stated on "CBS Mornings" that her sister, who died at age 80, did not wish to cause worry among her relatives or fans.
"Dolly could not bear negative things and she would not have wanted her fans worried about it," Stella Parton said. "She didn’t want a lot of the family worried about it." Some close family members were aware of Dolly's health issues, Stella confirmed.
Dolly Parton had also expressed a desire to try experimental drugs for her condition in the hope of helping others, even if there was no hope for her own recovery. Her representatives confirmed after her death that she had "bravely fac[ed] a brief battle with cancer," though they did not provide further details.
Reports from TMZ indicated that prior to her death, Parton was hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville with kidney and autoimmune issues. Her passing was reportedly a surprise to some family members who were unable to travel to Tennessee.
Parton was laid to rest on Aug. 28 at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum. In her last interview, she mentioned dealing with unspecified health issues that she had not paid much attention to while caring for her late husband, Carl Dean Thomas, who died in March 2025. Parton had previously canceled appearances, hinting at her health concerns during the last year of her life.