Dolly Parton's family is opening up about her private cancer battle.
Jada Star, Parton's niece and a singer who appeared on "Claim to Fame," told Extra in an interview published Tuesday, Sept. 1, that the country star's death was "really difficult and very surreal" but "bittersweet" given the outpouring of love she and her loved ones received.
"All of these tributes have helped so much to help us all through it," Star told the outlet.
The beloved cultural icon and "Queen of Country" died Aug. 25 at 80, surrounded by loved ones at a Nashville medical center after briefly battling cancer, her representatives confirmed to USA TODAY.
Star, the daughter of Parton's sister Frieda Parton, said the singer wouldn't want them to grieve forever.
"I can't remember
a life without her," Star said. "She would also tell us to start drying it up and start trying to get back to work and love each other real hard. She was just a trip."
Parton's death came after multiple concert cancellations and missed appearances amid medical issues, which included problems with her immune and digestive systems over the years. She appeared in high spirits in June for the grand opening of her Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, but had been seen in public sparingly otherwise.
Her cancer battle was kept "real private" by the family until the end because she didn't want to cause any concern, Star said.
"She never wanted to worry anybody," she told Extra. "So I think it was just a shock."
The family privately laid her to rest on Saturday, Aug. 29, her niece Lainey Mae Parton revealed in a tribute. Details about the service have not been publicly released. The family asked for donations to be made to Parton's Imagination Library, which gifts free books to children from birth to age 5, in lieu of flowers.
The same day, Star, Jelly Roll and Carly Piece performed at the Grand Ole Opry's official tribute to Parton. "I hope that she would have been real proud. She knows that I was a chicken," Star added. "For me, my advice I frequently got was, 'Why are you worried about what other people think?' So I just thought of that when I was out there."
Star got emotional sharing what she would tell Parton now. "I think I would just say thank you so much and I love you so much and I know you're okay," she said.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton's niece on why singer kept cancer battle private
