Dolly Parton revealed she faced ‘hard times with health’ just days before death after ‘ignoring’ issues as husband died

DOLLY Parton had spoken about enduring “hard times” with her health in the days before her death, aged 80. The Queen of County recently announced the debut of a new museum celebrating her life in Nashville and said she was still keeping busy. Dolly Parton admitted she had been going through ‘hard times’ with her health in the days before her death Credit: NICOLE HESTER / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The iconic songwriter had been battling a series of health problems in recent years Credit: Getty Dolly had been struggling with her health for some time before her passing and was forced to bow out of numerous gigs. She told PEOPLE on Friday: “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.” Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! Her beloved husband of 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, died last March after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019. He was 82 years old. “It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Dolly continued. Dolly said she neglected her health while looking after her husband Credit: Shutterstock Editorial She released 50 studio albums over her legendary 65 year career Credit: Getty Read more: Dolly Parton dead at 80 as nephew shares heartbreaking tribute Star looked upbeat in final photos taken just weeks before her death Khloe Kardashian and Kelly Osbourne lead emotional tributes to country legend Family statement in full as nephew confirms country music icon’s death Singer revealed ‘hard times with health’ just days before passing Heartbreaking last post looked forward to opening of her museum Trump pays tribute to one of the ‘greatest singers’ Star joked about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s future kids in heartbreaking last video post She recalled being “down for several months with female issues” in the early 1980s. But Dolly added: “I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago.” Most read in Entertainment After cancelling a slew of shows in December, the Tennessee native admitted she needed to go through “a few procedures”. Last October, Dolly’s sister Frieda had pleaded with her fans to pray for her sibling due to fears around her health. Frieda posted an emotional statement online saying: “I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.” The The 9-to-5 hitmaker was also forced to pull out of a Dollywood event after being diagnosed with a kidney stone. It was causing her “a lot of problems”. Severe kidney stones had previously forced to her to postpone other live performances and public appearances while she received care. Dolly with her collaborator Porter Wagoner onstage circa 1967 Credit: Getty She recently had to cancel numerous appearances due to her health problems Credit: Youtube/Khloe Kardashian Dolly collapsed on stage in Indianapolis in 1982 aged just 36 due to internal bleeding caused by severe endometriosis and abdominal complications. A subsequent operation left her unable to have biological children and triggered a period of deep emotional grief. It was only earlier this month that she shared an update with fans on social media saying she had a “few little health issues”. She added that “sometimes I get a little dizzy and I get dehydrated”, saying her doctors had banned her from travelling to the opening of Dollywood’s latest ride. But in the face of her health battles, Dolly continued to show the same relentless drive throughout her illustrious career. During her last public appearance, Dolly appeared upbeat at the unveiling of her new Nashville truck stop. Just one week before her death, she shared about her excitement to open a new museum in her very last post. Dolly Parton's Career Highlights Dolly Parton is one of the most well-known country stars in the business, and her career has continued to flourish. Here's a look at the highlights of the music legend's decades-long career. Dolly wrote and released her first single, Puppy Love, including the B-track Girl Left Alone, on Goldband Records when she was 11 years old. Although her single wasn’t a big hit, she ended up performing at Nashville, Tennessee’s Grand Ole Opry for the first time at 13 years old and was introduced by Johnny Cash. Dolly made the Billboard country charts in January 1967 with two singles from Monument Records: Dumb Blonde and Something Fishy. The singer earned her first number-one hit in 1971 with her single Joshua. In 1974, Dolly’s arguably most well-known song, Jolene, reached number one on the country charts. Her music continued to succeed, and she was awarded the Female Vocalist of the Year award at the CMAs in 1975. Dolly’s track, Here You Come Again, achieved platinum status in 1978, and the album earned her a Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. In 1980, Dolly starred in her first film, 9 to 5, alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda and released her hit song of the same name. The star opened her famed amusement park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1986. Later that year, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. At 75 years old, Dolly recreated her 1978 Playboy Cover for her husband Carl Dean’s birthday. In May 2022, it was announced that Dolly would officially be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, alongside Eminem, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, and Pat Benatar. Across her illustrious career, Dolly became one of the most-honored female country performers of all time. The musician is best known for a string of country hits including Coat of Many Colors, I Will Always Love You, 9 To 5 and Jolene. She produced a series of country hits, including eight number one singles, between 1974 and 1980. Her commerical success skyrocketed in 1980 as she released three consecutive country chart toppers including the smash hit, 9 to 5. It won Dolly countless awards and she became one of the few female country singers to have a number one single on both the country and pop charts simultaneously. Dolly remained a cult figure in the US music industry for another several decades with her releasing music right up until her passing. A total of 25 of her single or albums became Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum records. She had 26 songs reach number one on the Billboard country charts – a record for a female artist – and 42 career top 10 country albums. As of 2012, she had written more than 3,000 songs and sold more than 100 million records. She also boasts a whole host of awards including 11 Grammy Awards alongside 55 nominations. 7 comments7