Dolly Parton died at 80 after brief cancer battle

Country music legend Dolly Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer. Her family confirmed the death, and her nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, announced the news in an emotional video shared on social media. Parton had been dealing with kidney and autoimmune health issues in the months prior to her passing. In a tribute posted to Facebook, Parton's younger sister, Stella Parton, revealed that the iconic singer had made a final request to her medical team. Stella Parton wrote that her sister, even when told there was no hope for her, agreed to allow doctors to try experimental drugs in the hope of helping future cancer patients. "My sister was always thinking of others," Stella Parton wrote, urging fans to honor her legacy by showing more kindness and lifting others up. Parton had been hospitalized in Nashville late the previous week after her health struggles intensified. Her death came less than two years after the passing of her husband of nearly 58 years, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.