Just devastating.
This afternoon, the family of Dolly Parton announced that she had passed away this morning at 80-years-old in Nashville Tennessee. Dolly had been dealing with undisclosed health issues for the last year or so, and she previously shared that she was having issues with severe kidney stones. aside from that, she understandably didn’t share more, though clearly there were more serious issues going on.
TMZ reports that Dolly was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Friday morning “with kidney and autoimmune issues:”
“Admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on early Friday morning with kidney and autoimmune issues.”
The source also revealed that she passed away in the hospital this morning.
But this evening, Dolly’s rep confirmed to People, that Dolly’s death sadly followed a “brief battle with cancer,” though the specific kind was not revealed. Dolly had been open about her health struggles over the last several months, though it sounds like the cancer was a more recent development.
She passed “surrounded by loved ones”:
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.”
It sounds like it was a quick battle, so we can only hope that she didn’t suffer too much and is now in the loving arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as she was very open about her faith throughout her life.
Dolly’s team shared the following statement about her death:
“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.
Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
She’s of course known for timeless hits like “Coat of Many Colors,” “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Here You Come Again,” and “I Will Always Love You,” and throughout her illustrious career, Dolly put out 50 studio albums and charted 25 #1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In addition, she released 13 Collaborative albums with Porter Wagoner, as well as nine live albums and six soundtrack albums. She was of course a Country Music Hall of Fame member, as well as a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Her reach went far beyond music, as she was also an actress, staring in classics like “9 to 5” and my personal favorite, “Steel Magnolias,” a philanthropist with her incredible charity Imagination Library, and she run multiple business ventures including her incredibly successful theme park, Dollywood.
Dolly had 11 brothers and sisters, though she always noted how much love they had in their family, even if everybody in their area was poor with three o’s. She spoke throughout her life about the struggles that they faced as children, and how hard her parents worked to provide what they could, and she kept that down-to-earth, salt of the earth demeanor with her throughout her life.
At just 10 years old, Dolly began singing on local radio and TV shows and debuted on the Grand Ole Opry stage at just 13, where she met Johnny Cash and has told some great stories about it over the years. She made her big move to Nashville a few years later when she turned 18, and it was on that fateful first day in town that she met Carl Dean outside of the Wishy Washy laundromat, because Dolly had moved out so fast, she didn’t take the time to wash all of her clothes.
From there, she ended up on the Porter Wagoner Show for several years, and eventually made the leap towards a solo career, and the rest, as they say, is history. Dolly was also an actress, staring in classics like “9 to 5” and my personal favorite, “Steel Magnolias.”
It’s been truly incredible to see the public reaction well outside of country fans who are mourning her loss, and it just goes to show the massively, and very real, impact she had on so many. She will be deeply, deeply missed by the world.
Her nephew shared the following video announcing her death on behalf of their family:
