Dolly Parton died following ‘brief battle with cancer’

A representative for Dolly Parton on Tuesday said the country singer died after a “brief battle” with cancer, although they did not disclose the specific type of cancer.

“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” Parton’s representative Marcel Pariseau said in a statement sent to The Hill.

Parton died at the age of 80 years old, a little over a year after her husband of 59 years, Carl Thomas passed away at age 82.

Five of her 11 siblings also passed before her with the most recent death of her brother Coy “Denver” Parton taking place last month.

Her brother, fellow country music star Randy Parton died from an undisclosed form of cancer in 2021.

“Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens. I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s. Dolly opened doors, not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible,” her nephew Brian Seaver said in a video statement posted to her X account.

“Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life, and across every continent. By her example, we believe that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the door she opened made and changed history,” he added.

Parton mentored dozens of singers ranging from Miley Cyrus to Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.

She also uplifted young children through her Imagination Library, which provided books to kids internationally from birth until preschool.

“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” Pariseau said in a statement.

“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact,” he added.