Dolly Parton Pledged To ‘Keep On Working As Long As I Can’ Just Days Before Death

Curtis M. WongTue, August 25, 2026 at 8:49 PM UTC

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Just four days before her death, Dolly Parton reassured an interviewer that she was continuing to forge ahead with creative projects despite recent health concerns.

The country music icon spoke to People on Friday, Aug. 21. In what appears to be her final interview before her death on Tuesday, she acknowledged she’d been grappling with “some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to” prior to the 2025 death of her husband, Carl Dean.

News: Dolly Parton To 'Address Everyone's Concerns' After Sister Asks Public For Prayers

Parton had previously shared posts on social media addressing fans’ concerns for her health after her planned 2025 Las Vegas residency was canceled. Earlier this month, she backed out of a scheduled appearance at her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood, joking in a short video played at the event that her doctor had “clipped my wings” and prohibited her from traveling.

In her People interview, however, Parton seemingly suggested that her issues weren’t serious, noting: “Because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago.”

“I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin,’ I’m still workin’!” she told the outlet. “You know me — as I’ve often said — I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”

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“I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve,” Dolly Parton told People in an Aug. 21 interview.Theo Wargo via Getty Images

Parton didn’t specify to People exactly what she’d been working on. However, the 11-time Grammy winner’s life is the subject of “Dolly: A True Original Musical,” slated to open on Broadway early next year after a well-received 2025 run in Nashville, Tennessee.

Earlier this month, the musical’s producers shared a short video to Instagram in which Parton said she intended to be “in New York as much as I can be” during the rehearsal process.

Buzz: Dolly Parton Reassures Fans She 'Ain't Dead Yet'

“Of course ― good lord willing and the creek don’t rise ― I will definitely be there on the opening night,” she added.

Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, on Tuesday confirmed his aunt’s death at age 80, but did not disclose the cause.

“As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” he said in a video posted to Parton’s social media accounts. “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. 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.”

He went on to note: “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.”

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