Dolly Parton kept much of her family in the dark about her cancer diagnosis before the country music icon died late last month, her sister Stella Parton says.
Ms. Parton, 77, said Wednesday on “CBS Mornings” that her sister “could not bear negative things” and didn’t want fans or many of her relatives to worry, though “some of us knew, the ones that were closer.”
She said Dolly would be “delighted” by the outpouring of love from fans since her death.
Ms. Parton’s cousin spoke on NBC’s “Today” show, saying some family members and close loved ones were not able to make it to Tennessee before Dolly’s death or for her funeral.
Dolly Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80. Her representatives said she “bravely faced a brief battle with cancer” but provided no details.
TMZ had reported she had been hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for kidney and autoimmune issues days before her death.
She was buried Aug. 28 at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville beside her husband, Carl Dean, in what her cousin described as a small, quiet service.
In Parton’s final interview, she said she had been “dealing with some health issues” that she had ignored while caring for her husband before his death in March 2025.
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