Dolly Parton’s final weeks: Country icon kept cancer fight private before death at 80

Dolly Parton, the country music icon who passed away at the age of 80, had been battling cancer in her final weeks, a fact she kept hidden from the public. Her team announced on Tuesday that she had died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, surrounded by family members, after a brief illness. The news of her passing was met with tributes, with her nephew, Bryan Seaver, describing her death as a return to the embrace of loved ones who had preceded her, including her husband, Carl Dean, her parents, and others.

A short time before her demise, Parton disclosed to People magazine that she had canceled several upcoming engagements due to health issues, which she attributed to her neglect of her own well-being while caring for her husband, who had succumbed to a private illness in March 2022 at the age of 82. Dolly and Carl had been together for over six decades, beginning their relationship in 1964 when Dolly, a 18-year-old from Nashville, met him outside a laundromat.

They married two years later, and Carl played a significant role in shaping Dolly's career, notably inspiring her hit song "Jolene." Despite her marriage to one of the world's most famous entertainers, Carl maintained a low profile, running an asphalt-paving business in Nashville and rarely seeking the limelight. Throughout their marriage, Dolly remained close to Carl's family, including his mother.