Inside Dolly Parton's hidden tattoos before her death at 80 following cancer battle

Lauren DuBois & Angelica CheyenneWed, August 26, 2026 at 2:30 AM UTC

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Dolly Parton died at the age of 80 -Credit:Getty

Dolly Parton means many things to her devoted fanbase — singer, actress, businesswoman, and philanthropist, just to scratch the surface.

What might come as a surprise to many, however, is that she also sports a remarkable number of tattoos. Parton achieved iconic status over the decades, continuing to astonish admirers as she's ventured into new arenas and found remarkable success at every turn until her death at 80 on Tuesday, August 25, following her losing her battle with cancer. As she's being mourned among fans over her death, many supporters are channeling their energy into discovering fascinating details about her personal life. Among those curiosities is the question of whether the country music legend has any tattoos.

While many might assume the answer would be no, Parton herself has confirmed she carries quite a bit of ink — all carefully concealed — and for compelling reasons. It comes as Dolly's final wish, and the unusual manner in which she wants to be buried has been revealed.

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Parton put speculation about her body art to rest during a 2020 interview with People Magazine.

"I do have some tattoos, that's true. But they're tasteful. I'm not a tattoo girl," she said at the time.

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She went on to reveal that the tattoos were applied to conceal scarring from a previous illness, which appeared more pronounced against her fair complexion, adding that she chose to cover them up because she had no desire to carry visible reminders of a deeply difficult chapter in her life.

Parton has confirmed she has tattoos on her body that she keeps hidden -Credit:Getty

"My tattoos are pretty, they're artful, and they usually started out to cover some scar, not to make a big statement," she said. "Ribbons and bows and butterflied are the things that I have. I was very sick for a while, and I had to wear a feeding tube. It left a little indentation in my side, and I didn't like it because I'm so fair that scars turn purple on me."

She proceeded to describe one particular tattoo, revealing it depicted a beehive with a tiny bee, and admitted she likes to "make positives out of negatives."

While Parton declined to elaborate on her other tattoos and their locations, English actress Jennifer Saunders offered a glimpse into what she witnessed during an unexpected viewing of Parton's body art on There's Something About Movies in 2021.

Parton referred to her tattoos as works of art -Credit:Getty

Recounting a trip to Los Angeles alongside Roseanne Barr, Saunders recalled bumping into Parton and sitting down together, when the conversation eventually turned to the subject of tattoos.

"Dolly and Roseanne are sharing stories about tattoos. And Dolly went, 'OK, I have tattoos.' And we went, 'Really? Dolly Parton, you have tattoos?' She just unbuttoned her little jerkin, and she has the most beautiful tattoos, like works of art," she said, adding that they were on her breasts and in her armpits.

It comes as Dolly Parton's staggering net worth at the time of her death has been revealed.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”