Dolly Parton kept her cancer battle private from fans and even many members of her own family, and her sister is now revealing why she chose to keep it that way.
Stella Parton opened up about her late sister’s private health struggle during a recent interview, explaining that Dolly did not want people worrying about her or feeling sad.
The singer died on August 25 at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer. While the news shocked fans around the world, Stella explained that Dolly had deliberately kept the seriousness of her illness quiet.
According to Stella, Dolly did not want her fans to worry about her health. That decision also extended to her family. Stella said only some of their relatives knew what was happening, particularly those who were closer to Dolly, while many others were kept in the dark.
Stella said Dolly’s main concern was protecting the people she loved from unnecessary sadness and worry.
Despite privately dealing with cancer, Dolly continued working and remained focused on her projects and the people around her. Her family has since spoken about how much she continued to care for others even while facing her own health struggles.
Stella also said she believes Dolly would have been happy to see the enormous amount of love and support fans have shown since her death.
The revelation offers a more personal look at why the country icon chose to keep such an important part of her life private until the very end.