00:00Dolly Parton opened up about her health struggles just days before her death at 80.
00:04In what would become her final interview, the country music icon told People magazine on August 21st
00:09that she was dealing with some health issues, which had forced her to cancel an appearance at her Dollywood theme
00:14park the previous week.
00:16Parton acknowledged that she had been through difficult periods with her health before, saying,
00:19It's not like I haven't been through hard times with my health.
00:22She specifically recalled being down for several months with, quote, female issues in the early 1980s.
00:27Parton also said her more recent health struggles came after she failed to pay attention to her own health
00:33while watching over her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean.
00:36Dean died in March 2025 at 82, after nearly 59 years of marriage to Parton.
00:42In the days leading up to her death, Parton was reportedly hospitalized with kidney and autoimmune issues.
00:47According to TMZ, she was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville the evening of August 20th,
00:53five days before her death.
00:54The outlet reported that she died at the hospital the morning of August 25th.
00:58Parton had been open about her health challenges over the past year.
01:01She postponed her Las Vegas residency, bowed out of scheduled appearances,
01:05and missed her 80th birthday celebration at the Grand Ole Opry in January.
01:09Nine months before her death, Parton also spoke to People about the legacy she wanted to leave behind.
01:14I'm at that point in my life where I just want to be able to do good things that can
01:18be carried on,
01:18she said in November 2025.
01:21I'm proud of my legacy so far, and I hope to just continue to do things that might be of
01:25use to other people.
01:26At the time, Parton said she felt like she was just getting started, and joked,
01:30I ain't got time to get old.
01:32She added that she believed there was a lot to be said about age,
01:35but said she planned to keep going as long as her health allowed.
01:38Parton's nephew and longtime head of security, Brian Seaver,
01:41announced her death on August 25th,
01:43sharing an emotional tribute to the country music legend.
01:46Hey, everyone.
01:48My name is Brian Seaver, son of Cassie Parton,
01:51and I am representing the Parton and Owens family today,
01:54announcing the passing of my Aunt Dolly, Rebecca Parton Dean,
01:58sister, sis, Aunt Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next.
02:03This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago,
02:06before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.
02:09As her head of security for more than two decades,
02:12a role my father Larry held before me,
02:14I have imagined the heaviness of this moment,
02:16but haven't truly felt it until now.
02:18It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.
02:23But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.
02:26Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,
02:30surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her
02:34and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.
02:37I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid,
02:39getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s.
02:42Dolly opened doors not just for me,
02:45but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn't even know was possible.
02:49Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians,
02:54and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent.
02:57By her example, we believed that anything was possible.
03:01She never saw a door she couldn't open,
03:03and the doors she opened made and changed history.
03:07My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly,
03:11but so have you.
03:12She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD,
03:17and on your phone playlist,
03:18becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not.
03:22Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy
03:24will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever.
03:29Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy.
03:31He farmed the soil, she farmed songs and happiness.
03:35Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton
03:39because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones,
03:42she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.
03:45Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt Granny, Gigi.
03:50May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all.
03:53She will always love you.
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