Dolly Parton kept her cancer battle secret because she could not bear the thought of leaving her millions of fans and extended family frightened or upset.
The country music legend died aged 80 last month following what her representatives described as a “brief battle” with cancer.
But Parton deliberately kept the diagnosis intensely private – with even some relatives unaware she was ill – before dying surrounded by loved ones at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
A Parton family source exclusively told THE VAULT:
