Dolly Parton’s final days have taken a heartbreaking turn, with new details emerging about a hospital visit that happened just days before her death.
The country music legend, who died at 80 on Tuesday, August 25, had reportedly been admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville just four days earlier.
What happened during that brief hospital stay is now shedding new light on the difficult final chapter of her life.
The world is mourning Dolly Parton, who has died at the age of 80.
The country music icon passed away Tuesday, just days after being hospitalized in Nashville. On Friday, the same day she was admitted, Parton gave an interview to People, in which she opened up about her health struggles and the difficult period following the death of her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March last year at 82.
According to People, Parton was taken to the hospital on Friday, August 21, amid kidney and autoimmune issues. That same day, she acknowledged that she was “dealing with some health issues.”
Already affected her public appearances
Her representatives later confirmed that Parton had been diagnosed with cancer and died at the same medical center where she had been admitted days earlier.
“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,” her representatives said.
“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.”
The statement did not reveal when Parton was diagnosed or what type of cancer she had.
Before her death, Parton’s health concerns had already affected her public appearances. Just a week earlier, a new attraction had opened at her Dollywood theme park. Rather than attending in person, Parton appeared in a video message after her doctors advised her not to make the trip.
“I’ve told you before, all my fans, that I’ve had a few little health issues and sometimes I get a little dizzy and I get dehydrated. And I’m dehydrated,” she said, according to a video shared on social media. “So my Nashville doctor has kind of clipped my wings, saying, ‘You ain’t traveling this week.’”
Believed she would recover
The Grammy-winning star had also canceled six Las Vegas performances in May, explaining that her immune system and digestive system had been “completely out of balance” in recent years.
Parton managed to find humor in the situation, joking that feeling dizzy from medication while carrying banjos and guitars in high heels was hardly ideal.
”And you know I’m gonna be wearing them. Not to mention all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair and my…big uh personality. That would make anybody swimmy-headed,” she said with a laugh.
According to TMZ, people closest to Parton were aware that she was ill, but they reportedly believed she would recover. Her death therefore came as a devastating shock to her family.
Parton’s funeral will be a private ceremony attended only by her closest family members, according to a statement shared by her team on Instagram.
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