Dolly Parton was reportedly rushed to a Nashville hospital with serious health problems just days before her stunning death at age 80.

The country music legend was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center early Friday, August 21, while suffering from what sources described as “kidney and autoimmune issues,” according to TMZ.

Parton remained hospitalized before dying Tuesday morning, August 25.

The heartbreaking news was announced later that day by her nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver.

Parton’s exact cause of death has not been publicly revealed.

Despite Parton’s recent health struggles, her death reportedly stunned even those closest to her.

People in the singer’s inner circle knew she had been sick, but her sudden passing was nevertheless unexpected, TMZ reported.

Seaver announced his famous aunt’s death in an emotional video on behalf of the Parton and Owens families.

He explained that Parton had asked him years earlier to be the person who eventually shared the news of her passing with the world.

Seaver said the moment was filled with both “absolute pride and great sadness,” before offering a deeply religious message about where the family believes Parton is now.

“Sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” he said, adding that the beloved singer was now reunited with her late husband, Carl Dean, as well as her parents and other loved ones.

The hospitalization came after Parton had already acknowledged dealing with health problems over the past year.

The “Jolene” singer previously said she had neglected some of her own medical needs while caring for Dean, her husband of nearly 60 years, before his death in March 2025.

Even then, Parton tried to reassure worried fans that she was recovering.

She joked about the constant online rumors surrounding her health and insisted she was “healing,” while admitting that not everything being said about her medical struggles was false.

Parton had also battled health scares decades earlier, revealing that she spent months dealing with serious “female issues” during the 1980s.

The comments now take on a heartbreaking new meaning following her death.

Parton’s death brings an end to one of the most extraordinary careers in American entertainment.

The Tennessee-born superstar became a household name with classics including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.”

She also became a movie star, appearing in films including 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

But Parton’s influence stretched far beyond the stage and screen.

Her charitable work became nearly as famous as her music, particularly through her Imagination Library program, which has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children around the world.

She also donated millions of dollars over the years to education, disaster relief, medical research and communities throughout Tennessee.

Parton is expected to be laid to rest beside Dean, the fiercely private businessman she married in 1966 and remained with until his death last year.

Her family is planning a small, private funeral in keeping with her wishes.

For generations of fans, however, saying goodbye to Dolly Parton will not be so simple.

Seaver summed up her extraordinary bond with the public by noting that she had been a constant presence in millions of homes through television, records, CDs and playlists.

And he ended his farewell with a fitting reference to one of the greatest songs she ever wrote:

“She will always love you.”