New Details About Dolly Parton’s Final Days Emerge

New details are emerging about Dolly Parton’s health in the days before her death, revealing that the beloved country music legend had reportedly been hospitalized while battling several medical issues.

Parton died Tuesday at age 80, leaving fans around the world stunned and heartbroken. Her family said the superstar passed away “peacefully,” but an official cause of death has not yet been announced.

According to TMZ, Parton was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Thursday night, just five days before her death.

The outlet reported that the “Jolene” singer was being treated for “kidney and autoimmune issues” and remained hospitalized until she died Tuesday morning.

The troubling update comes after Parton had recently opened up about struggling with her health.

Earlier this month, the famously energetic performer acknowledged that she had “been through hard times with my health,” including gastrointestinal problems and kidney stones.

Her health struggles reportedly intensified after the devastating loss of her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.

Parton and Dean had been married for 58 years.

In an interview with People published just days before her death, Parton admitted that she may have neglected her own health while caring for her longtime husband.

“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.

Still, Parton tried to reassure worried fans.

The singer recalled battling serious health problems decades earlier and suggested that reports surrounding her recent condition had sometimes been exaggerated.

“You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this,” Parton explained. “Back in the early ‘80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.”

She also blamed the nonstop social-media news cycle for making every health scare appear more dramatic.

“I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago,” she said.

Despite everything she was facing, Parton remained remarkably optimistic about the future.

“Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’!” she said.

The country legend insisted she still had dreams she wanted to accomplish and planned to continue working for as long as possible.

“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,” she said.

Those words have now taken on a heartbreaking new meaning.

Parton’s family announced her death Tuesday through a video posted to her official Instagram account.

Her nephew Bryan Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than 20 years, delivered the emotional announcement.

Seaver revealed that Parton had asked him years earlier to make the announcement when the time eventually came.

“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he said.

Seaver described the moment as one filled with both “absolute pride and great sadness.”

But he said the family believes Parton is now reunited with Dean and other loved ones.

“Sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” Seaver said. “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 for her to meet them in the heavens.”

Parton leaves behind one of the most extraordinary careers in American entertainment history.

During her six decades in the spotlight, she became an 11-time Grammy winner, earned an Emmy, received multiple Golden Globe nominations and became one of the most recognizable country singers in the world.

She was also nominated for an Academy Award for her song “9 to 5” and later received an honorary Oscar recognizing her humanitarian work.

Beyond the music, Parton became beloved for her philanthropy, humor and unmistakable personality.

Her family remembered her remarkable journey as “a rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see.”

“Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family,” the family said.

In lieu of flowers, Parton’s family has asked fans to donate to her Imagination Library, the children’s literacy program she founded and championed for decades.

For now, exactly what caused Parton’s sudden death remains unanswered as fans mourn a superstar who seemed determined to keep performing and creating until the very end.