Country music icon Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25. She was 80.
Parton’s nephew and her longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, confirmed her passing in an emotional Instagram post the same day.
Days before her death, the musician gave her final health update after canceling her Dollywood event.
In an interview with People published Aug. 22, she admitted she was dealing with “some health issues” she “just didn’t pay attention to” as she was “watching over” her longtime husband, Carl Dean, in his final days before his death at the age of 82 in March 2025.
Parton has been open about several health challenges she’s faced over her decades-long career.
Page Six is taking a look back at the singer’s medical issues she’s endured as fans mourn her passing.
Diagnosed with endometriosis
In the early 1980s, Parton began experiencing significant abdominal pain and hemorrhaging. Her condition landed her in the hospital several times and she underwent several procedures.
In 1982, was forced to cancel a tour due to her worsening condition and was later diagnosed with endometriosis.
The chronic condition affects 1 in 10 women worldwide and occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, per the Mayo Clinic.
Endometriosis often causes intense pelvic pain — especially during menstrual periods — and can lead to fertility issues.
In order to address her gynecological problems, the songwriter underwent a partial hysterectomy in 1985 at the age of 36, according to an interview with Closer Weekly.
The surgery meant she could not carry children, something she has candidly discussed over the years.
Depression and mental health struggles
In the mid-1980s, Parton opened up about her mental health issues and a serious depressive period.
In a Ladies Home Journal interview included in the 2017 book “Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton,” the Queen of Country opened up about the rough few years she endured.
“I was 35 when I first got sick,” she admitted. “I went to the very bottom as far as my emotions and my health are concerned.”
Parton explained that her mental health struggles began impacting her physical health as well.
“I was getting away with murder. I wasn’t watching what I ate, I wasn’t conscious of nutrition, wasn’t taking care of myself. I was working hard, and underneath I was a pile of personal and emotional problems… All at once I fell apart.”
She continued, “It was stomach problems and female problems — allover health problems actually. It was God’s way of telling me to get myself straight… I’m grateful it happened when I was still young enough to bounce back.”
During a 2004 interview with CBS News, Parton reflected on her depression, noting that “money ain’t everything” and that mental health can affect anyone.
“I really had a down period for about 18 months, two years, until I finally was so depressed over my weight and a lot of other things until I just thought, ‘You know, either get up off your fat ass and get on with your life or blow your head off and let everyone else go on with theirs,’” Parton said.
“People don’t realize that we, we meaning people in show business, have the same problems as everyone else,” she explained.
“Money doesn’t change that. Fame doesn’t change that. Sometimes that brings on more problems. You know, it’s just a different kind of problems.”
Severe back pain
In 2008, the “9 to 5” star postponed the North American leg of her “Backwoods Barbie” tour after doctors told her to rest for six to eight weeks because of a back problem.
At the time, Parton attributed the back pain to her large chest.
“Hey, you try wagging these puppies around a while and see if you don’t have back problems,” she quipped, per Reuters.
“The truth is I just bent over one day to pick something up, and I hurt my lower back… I just kind of popped a disk in my lower back,” she later explained, assuring her fans that “it’s fine.”
“It was just one of those freak things.”
Kidney stone infection
The Grammy-winning artist was forced to step back from the limelight in September 2025 after suffering from kidney stones.
“Turns out there was an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling around this minute, so you need a few days to get better,’” Parton said in a video shared at the time when she couldn’t appear in person for a Dollywood event.
The “Jolene” songstress previously revealed she had kidney stones removedin 2015 while shutting down rumors of stomach cancer.
Shortly after revealing the infection, Parton postponed her Las Vegas residency due to “health challenges” and a “few procedures.”
In May 2026, she ended up canceling the shows altogether, sharing that she needed more time to be “up to stage performance level.”
“The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day,” Parton assured her fans.
“I’m doing really well, and they assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I’m going with that, and I just want you to know I thank you for standing by me and that I will always love you.”
‘Kidney and autoimmune issues’
Parton was reportedly hospitalized with “kidney and autoimmune issues” just five days before her death, according to TMZ.
She was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Aug. 20, per the outlet.
Earlier in August, Parton canceled a planned appearance at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, after a doctor ordered her not to travel due to ongoing “health issues.”
In a pre-recorded video shown at the event, Parton said, “Sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated. And so my Nashville doctor clipped my wings, saying you ain’t traveling this week.”
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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