Dolly Parton’s niece has revealed she’s currently going through her “own cancer battle”, two months after her aunt’s passing.
Danielle, 50, was named brand ambassador of her late relative’s estate on Thursday (22.10.26), saying in a video on her Instagram Reels: “Like so many of you, losing her has changed something for me. It made me think of the stories, values, and lessons that she left behind, and the responsibility that our family has to care for them.”
Following the announcement, Danielle - the daughter of Bobby Lee Parton and Doris Maxine Noland - opened up to Extra about her own health struggle, as she said: “I’m going through a little bit of a cancer battle myself right now.”
While she didn’t go into details about the type of cancer she has been diagnosed with, she did say she’s “stage zero” thanks to doctors catching things early.
She added: “I’m OK.”
Danielle went on to admit that Dolly was “devastated” when she told her of her own cancer battle, adding: “I didn’t know, like anybody else, what she was dealing with. I knew she was sick,” Danielle recalled. “And so she was just devastated that I was going through it, and I remember telling her, I’m like, ‘Look, you’ve gotta get it together. It ain’t that deep. I just wanted you to know ‘cause I was having a biopsy.’
“She worried more about everybody else before she would ever let you know anything was wrong with her.”
Dolly passed away in August, aged 80, following a brief battle with an undisclosed type of cancer.
As brand ambassador for Dolly’s estate, Danielle promised to “tell some of the stories of her, the stories behind the global icon, and support the people carrying forward the work that she cared for and created to make sure what she built continues to bring people joy”.
She concluded: “I’m so grateful to help care for a legacy that means so much not only to my family but to all of you.”