It’s been over a week since the death of country music icon Dolly Parton, but for many, the shock is still settling in.
What made the announcement of the 80-year-old’s passing all the more surprising was that her legion of fans worldwide had no clue that she was even sick.
The same cannot be said for her family, who reportedly knew that the legendary singer was facing serious health struggles away from the spotlight.
As per a statement from her representative, Parton died last Tuesday (August 25) at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville after a short battle with cancer.
At the time of writing, the exact type of cancer Dolly was suffering from has not been revealed.
Over a week on from her death, the superstar’s niece, Jada Star, has opened up on just why her aunt decided to keep her cancer diagnosis private.
“She never wanted to worry anybody,” Jada told Extra. “You know, we kind of kept all that stuff real private.”
Jada added that while her family knew about her health battles, Dolly’s passing still came as a shock.
“I can’t remember a life without her,” said Jada.
“It’s also been really bittersweet because of this beautiful opportunity we’ve had to see how much the whole world loves her. So, all of these tributes have helped so much to help us all through it.”
Dolly also apparently left her family instructions for how to get on with life without her.
“She would also tell us to start drying it up and start trying to get back to work,” Jada joked. “And to love each other real hard. Yeah, she was just a trip.”
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