Dolly Parton passed away in August at age 80. Shortly after her passing, her reps confirmed that she had briefly battled cancer in the days leading up to her death.
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Parton kept her cancer battle a secret for the most part. But one person who was aware of her medical diagnosis was her niece, Danielle Parton. However, Dolly did not directly tell her niece about her cancer battle. But she could tell through context clues.
Parton's Niece Reveals How She Figured Out Her Aunt's Diagnosis
When speaking with Extra's Mona Kosar Abdi, the star's niece revealed that she is also dealing with a "cancer battle" right now. Danielle also dished on the details of the conversation she had with her aunt when she informed her of her diagnosis. Danielle said that seeing how hard the Jolene creator took the news was an apparent sign that she was dealing with her own cancer battle.
"She took it really heavy, and that's how I figured it out. I didn't know, like anybody else, what she was dealing with. Knew she was sick ... I think it was around August 6 when I talked to her, and I figured out that she was dealing with cancer most likely at that point," she said to the outlet.
Danielle said that the singer was "devastated" to hear of her diagnosis. And that she had to give her aunt a pep talk where she urged her to "get it together."
"And so, she was just devastated that I was going through it," Danielle continued. "And I remember telling her, I'm like, 'Look, you gotta get it together. It ain't that deep. I just wanted you to know 'cause she knew I was having a biopsy. If she remembered, she would have got all over me. She'd have called and really chewed me a good one."
As for Danielle's prognosis, she says that she is at "stage zero" and is grateful that her doctors were able to recognize the cancer early.
Parton's team has not confirmed what type of cancer the Jolene creator was dealing with in the days leading up to her death. She was 80 years old
