DOLLY Parton’s cause of death has been revealed as the country music superstar died following a “brief battle with cancer”, aged 80.
The Queen of Country passed away on Tuesday after suffering from a number of health issues in recent months.
It has now been revealed that Dolly died “surrounded by loved ones” in Nashville after a “brief battle” with cancer, reports People.
Representatives revealed the news in a statement to the outlet which did not reveal the type of cancer Dolly had been battling.
The statement read: “Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched.
“Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand.
It comes as:
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.”
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Dolly’s nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death in a heartbreaking statement on her official Instagram page Tuesday afternoon, shocking her fans worldwide.
Dolly had been struggling with her health for some time before her passing and was forced to bow out of numerous gigs.
She told PEOPLE on Friday: “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”
Her beloved husband of 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, died last March after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019. He was 82 years old.
After cancelling a slew of shows in December, the Tennessee native admitted she needed to go through “a few procedures”.
Last October, Dolly’s sister Frieda had pleaded with her fans to pray for her sibling due to fears around her health.
It was only earlier this month that she shared an update with fans on social media saying she had a “few little health issues”.
She added that “sometimes I get a little dizzy and I get dehydrated”, saying her doctors had banned her from traveling to the opening of Dollywood’s latest ride.
But during her last public appearance, Dolly appeared upbeat at the unveiling of her new Nashville truck stop.
And just one week before her death, she shared about her excitement to open a new museum in her very last post.
Dolly has no children but leaves behind her legacy in music.
Across her illustrious career, Dolly became one of the most-honored female country performers of all time.
Dolly Parton’s Career Highlights
Dolly Parton is one of the most well-known country stars in the business, and her career has continued to flourish. Here’s a look at the highlights of the music legend’s decades-long career.
- Dolly wrote and released her first single, Puppy Love, including the B-track Girl Left Alone, on Goldband Records when she was 11 years old.
- Although her single wasn’t a big hit, she ended up performing at Nashville, Tennessee’s Grand Ole Opry for the first time at 13 years old and was introduced by Johnny Cash.
- Dolly made the Billboard country charts in January 1967 with two singles from Monument Records: Dumb Blonde and Something Fishy.
- The singer earned her first number-one hit in 1971 with her single Joshua.
- In 1974, Dolly’s arguably most well-known song, Jolene, reached number one on the country charts.
- Her music continued to succeed, and she was awarded the Female Vocalist of the Year award at the CMAs in 1975.
- Dolly’s track, Here You Come Again, achieved platinum status in 1978, and the album earned her a Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
- In 1980, Dolly starred in her first film, 9 to 5, alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda and released her hit song of the same name.
- The star opened her famed amusement park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1986.
- Later that year, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
- At 75 years old, Dolly recreated her 1978 Playboy Cover for her husband Carl Dean’s birthday.
- In May 2022, it was announced that Dolly would officially be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, alongside Eminem, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, and Pat Benatar.
A total of 25 of her singles or albums became Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum records.
She had 26 songs reach number one on the Billboard country charts – a record for a female artist – and 42 career top 10 country albums.
As of 2012, she had written more than 3,000 songs and sold more than 100 million records.
She also boasts a whole host of awards including 11 Grammy Awards alongside 55 nominations.
Dolly is also in several halls of fame across the US including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In 2023, she was even ranked at number 27 on Rolling Stone‘s 2023 list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.