Dolly Parton Held on to Her ‘Faith’ and Was Optimistic to the End

Dolly Parton's deep religious conviction shaped how she faced her health struggles in the months leading up to her death. Those closest to her say that steadfast faith never once wavered, even at the very end.

Even as the end neared with a looming cancer diagnosis and other ongoing health issues, Dolly Parton held on to her faith. It was the driving force behind her optimism, which remained as strong as ever and shone through even as she shared health updates throughout the past year.

Dolly Parton attends the 58th Academy Of Country Music Awards at The Ford Center at The Star on May 11, 2023 in Frisco, Texas. | Source: Getty Images

"From the time that Dolly Parton was born, she was surrounded by faith, by God, by Jesus. Her grandfather was a preacher. Even in her Broadway show, she shows how much faith means to her," a source shared.

"And so it's natural for people of faith to believe that God is in control," the source continued. "It doesn't matter what doctors may say, people may say. It's not over until God says it's over. I think she lived every day working and as long as God hadn't called her home, she was here and she had more work to do."

Dolly Parton poses for a portrait in circa 1955 in Tennessee. | Source: Getty Images

The insider added that Parton's faith also likely influenced how she talked about her health. "She came from a Pentecostal background. Her grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher," the source explained. "In the Pentecostal faith, and even the Bible says the power of life and death is in the tongue."

They continued, "And so the things that you give power to, the things that you speak out loud are the things that are going to come. And so I believe she thought as a Christian, I'm going to speak faith, I'm going to speak life, I'm going to speak abundance and I'm not going to speak death."

Dolly Parton poses for a portrait in 1965 in Nashville, Tennessee. | Source: Getty Images

The source added, "I think she truly put her life in his hands and said, 'When it's my time to go, it'll be my time to go.' And I know that she leaned on her faith during these last few years. It's how we deal with hardships in life."

Her team later confirmed that her death followed a brief battle with an undisclosed form of cancer. "After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones," her reps revealed. She was 80.