source: Getty Images via CNN
Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, died in March 2025. While the couple never disclosed what disease he had, Parton shared that he was “ill for quite a while.” Parton, of course, died this week of cancer, which she didn’t talk about publicly, following a couple of years of health issues including kidney stones. We don’t know how she didn’t take care of herself, but her few words speak volumes given that she had been taking such extensive care of her husband.