Dolly Parton Said She Was “Dealing With Some Health Issues” Days Before Her Death

Dolly Parton was planning to keep workin’ 9 to 5 right up until the end. 

Just days before the country music legend died at age 80, she had detailed the “hard times” with her health following several cancelled appearances and shows. 

“I’m dealing with some health issues,” Parton—whose husband Carl Thomas Dean died in March 2025—told People in an interview published Aug. 21. “That I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”

While Parton was not dismissing her health concerns, she noted she hadn’t always attracted this level of attention.

“It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton continued. “But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnificent in ways it wasn’t years ago.”

And though she was taking time off from public appearances, the singer had every intention of returning to the stage. As she put it, “Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin.’”