Dolly Parton says she is still healing after ‘hard times’ with health struggles
By Jessica Coates, Press Association
Dolly Parton said she put her own health to the side while caring for her husband before his death last year.
The country music star, 80, has spoken out about her ongoing health problems after she was forced to pull out of a Dollywood appearance earlier this month.
Parton missed the opening night of a new attraction at her Tennessee theme park earlier this month after experiencing dizziness and dehydration, with doctors advising her against travel.
In the aftermath of the cancelled appearance, she told People: “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”
The Jolene singer was married to Carl Thomas Dean for almost 60 years until his death in March 2025, aged 82.
Parton added: “It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.
“But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI!
“Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’.”
Her comments come amid a string of postponed or cancelled appearances amid concerns for her health.
The speculation prompted Parton to post a video to social media joking that she “ain’t dead yet” in October 2025.
“There are just a lot of rumours flying around. But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was OK,” she said in a video posted on Instagram.
In May, the songstress was forced to cancel a Las Vegas residency due to ill health, telling fans she was “truly sorry” and telling Instagram followers that “everything I have is treatable” but said it would take a while “before I’m up to stage-performance level”.
Parton was originally due to perform six shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in December, but was forced to postpone them due to unspecified “health challenges”.
“The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day,” she said in the Instagram video.
