Dolly Parton’s nephew confirmed her death at 80 following a reported hospitalization days earlier.
The country music legend was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Thursday night, according to reports. She died in the hospital Tuesday morning at age 80, five days after being hospitalized with what were described as kidney and autoimmune issues.
Parton had been candid about mounting health struggles in her final days. In her last interview, conducted Friday with People magazine, she addressed the toll of recent months. “I was dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” she said, referencing her late husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at age 82.
She added, “It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.”
The “Jolene” singer’s final health update came shortly after she canceled a planned appearance at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The missed event had already signaled to fans that something was amiss with the typically tireless performer.
Parton’s openness about her medical challenges stood in character for an artist who had spent decades sharing personal details with her audience. Her reference to neglecting her own care while tending to Dean during his final months suggested a familiar narrative of spousal caregiving exacting its own physical price.
The couple had been married since 1966, with Dean largely avoiding the spotlight despite his wife’s global fame. His death at 82 in March 2025 had marked the end of one of entertainment’s longest marriages and, by Parton’s own account, had redirected her attention away from her own wellbeing.
In the viral moment that now frames her final weeks, Parton’s cancellation of the Dollywood appearance and her subsequent hospitalization at Vanderbilt — a major medical center in her adopted hometown of Nashville — traced a rapid decline that surprised many who had followed her seemingly boundless energy through eight decades.
Her nephew’s confirmation of her death brought official word to what reports had already circulated, closing a career that spanned country music, film, philanthropy and the theme park that bore her name.