Dolly Parton was looking out for her loved ones up until the very end.
The country music legend passed away at 80 years old on August 25, with her nephew Bryan Seaver announcing the news in an Instagram video. Her team later confirmed to People her passing came shortly after a brief battle with cancer.
According to her sister, Stella Parton, she kept her health woes a secret from almost everyone, even members of her inner circle.
"Dolly did not want anybody to tell that because Dolly could not bear negative things," Stella said on CBS Mornings. "She would not have wanted her fans worried about it.
"She didn't want a lot of the family worried about it," Stella explained. "Some of us knew, the ones that were closer, but not every relative.
"She did not want people sad," she added.
Mega
Just days before her death was announced, the singer admitted to People, "I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn't pay attention to when I was watching over Carl," referring to her last few months with her late husband Carl Thomas Dean, who died at 82 years old in March 2025.
At the time, Dolly attempted to assure her fans she was taking care of it.
"It's not like I haven't been through hard times with my health," she explained. "But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn't years ago.
"Seriously, though, even though I'm still healin', I'm still workin'," she added.
Dolly first sparked health concerns in September 2025, when she was missing in action at an event in her iconic amusement park Dollywood. To supplement her physical appearance, she instead sent a video to explain her absence, revealing an infection caused by kidney stones.
The following week, the singer took to Instagram to announce she had postponed several shows of her Las Vegas residency due to "health challenges." She had since cancelled the rescheduled concerts.
Read More From InTouch Weekly
This story Dolly Parton's Sister Reveals Why Singer Kept Cancer Battle a Secret first appeared on InTouch Weekly. Follow InTouch Weekly on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.