Dolly Parton's Loved Ones Rushed to Nashville as Her Health Suddenly Declined Before Her Death, Report Says

Dolly Parton's family reportedly hurried to her bedside as her health waned just before her death.

The country music icon died at the age of 80 on Tuesday, August 25, after she was brought to Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she was admitted five days earlier with "kidney and autoimmune issues."

According to a TMZ source, "when loved ones learned Dolly had been hospitalized last week and wasn't doing well, they began rushing to Nashville to be by her side."

"They did not expect she would die during this hospital stay, believing she would recover and be released as she had following past health setbacks," an insider added.

However, some of her inner circle who had hoped to see Parton before she took a turn for the worst did not make it in time.

The publication also noted Parton's passing was "unanticipated." The "Jolene" crooner had also been dealing with massive health issues in recent months, such as kidney stones, digestive problems and dizziness.

Parton is set to be laid to rest in a small, private service, according to a statement from her rep. She will also reportedly be buried next to her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, at Nashville's Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum. Dean died in March 2025 at the age of 82.

TMZ reported the Steel Magnolias star will be buried in her "signature high heels and a comfortable cotton dress."

While her funeral date has yet to be determined, her team asked fans to pay tribute to her on social media by leaving a message on her official website.

"In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library," the statement shared online continued.

News broke of her death on Tuesday afternoon, with her nephew Bryan Seaver sharing a video of the announcement on her Instagram page.

“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly," he said, in part.

"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 to meet her in the heavens," Seaver went on.

"Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest," he concluded. "Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly."

The Grammy winner's official cause of death has not yet been determined.