Dolly Parton reportedly underwent experimental treatment in Germany amid her private battle with cancer.

Parton “died peacefully” on August 25 in Nashville, Tennessee, according to an official announcement issued by her team. She was 80. The beloved icon’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, also confirmed his aunt’s passing in a recorded message from the family that was shared on her social media accounts. Parton’s representatives later said in a statement to PEOPLE, “after bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.”

Parton quietly received experimental treatment in Germany about a year before she died, according to a report by TMZ on Tuesday (September 22). Unnamed sources told the outlet that Parton stayed in Frankfurt for about a week, and the treatment was seemingly helpful to the “I Will Always Love You” legend. It wasn’t immediately clear what the treatment entailed, and the type of cancer Parton battled has not been publicly disclosed.

One of Parton’s sisters, Stella Parton, 77, revealed in a tribute days after her sister’s passing: “My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I’ve ever known. What the world saw is exactly who she was, so much so, she told me recently that if there was no hope for her, she would still allow her medical team to try experimental drugs in the hope of helping others in the future.”

Stella Parton also remembered her beloved sister in an interview on CBS Mornings. She spoke about Parton’s decision to keep her cancer battle private, and said “not every relative” knew about her health issues. “She did not want people sad. And she did not want people worried,” Stella Parton said.

The country music community and many others around the world have mourned Parton’s loss in an outpouring of tributes. Parton has since been laid to rest in a private ceremony for immediate family beside husband Carl Dean. Parton and Dean were married nearly six decades. He died in March 2025. He was 82.

Casey Carter