<a href="https://comicvibe.com/dolly-parton-was-hospitalized-4-days-before-her-death-at-80/" title="Dolly Parton Was Hospitalized 4 Days Before Her Death at 80″>Dolly Partonwas planning to keep workin’ 9 to 5 rightup until the end.
Just days beforethe country music legend died at age 80, she had detailedthe“hard times” with her health following several cancelled appearances and shows.
“I’m dealing with some health issues,” Parton—whose husbandCarl Thomas Deandied in March 2025—toldPeoplein 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 magnified 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.’”
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Dolly Parton’s Family Speaks Out After Her Death at 80
Indeed, Parton was busy planning the opening ofherSongTeller Hotel in Nashville, as well as the launch of Cup of Ambition Coffee, her own coffee line inspired by the “9 to 5” lyric.
Months earlier, Parton spoke out about her health after her sisterFreida Partonasked for prayers on her behalf. “I want you to know that I’m OK,” she said in an October Instagram video. “I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done working. So, I love you for caring and keep praying for me.”
But just days after her final interview,Parton’s familyannouncedher passing on Aug. 25.
“Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus,”her nephewBryanSeaversaid in a video statement shared to herInstagram account. “Surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.”
He emphasized that his aunt “opened doors” for her entire family, as well as “for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent.”
And he assured that her legacy will live on.
As he put it, “By her example, we believed that anything was possible.”
To celebrate Parton’s larger than life presence, read on…
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
View More Photos From Dolly Parton: A Life in Pictures
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