Dolly Parton kept her cancer fight secret to spare people sadness, sister says
Dolly Parton kept a cancer battle quiet—shielding fans and even much of her family—and sister Stella is now explaining why she made that call.
On CBS Mornings, Stella Parton said her sister chose to keep her cancer diagnosis inside a very small circle because she didn’t want the illness to become a burden on anyone else. Only some relatives — mainly those closest to her — were told, Stella explained in her sit-down with Gayle King.
“She did not want people sad,” and “could not bear negative things.”
Parton died on August 25 at 80. Her representatives said after her passing that she had faced a brief battle with cancer, but did not disclose the type or how long she’d been ill. The diagnosis had remained private while she continued to reassure the public about her health.
Stella added that her sister would have taken comfort in the massive response that followed, saying Dolly knew that the love from fans would help carry the family through their grief.
Beyond the music
Parton’s seven-decade career turned out standards that never left the culture. A few of the big ones:
- “Jolene”
- “9 to 5”
- “I Will Always Love You”
She parlayed that success into acting, business and entertainment, and built Dollywood into another signature piece of her legacy.
Her giving was just as enduring. She launched the Dollywood Foundation in 1988, then the Imagination Library in 1995 — inspired in part by her father’s inability to read or write — which grew from a local project into an international program mailing free books to children. Her philanthropy also stretched into disaster relief, healthcare and medical research.