Dolly Parton Shares Health Update After Missing Dollywood Event
By Alexus Mosley
Photo Credit: Getty
Dolly Parton is giving fans an update on her health.
The 80-year-old country music legend recently revealed that she’s continuing to deal with health challenges after being forced to miss an appearance at Dollywood earlier this month.
“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” Parton told People, referring to her late husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at age 82.
Parton explained that while caring for her husband, some of her own health concerns took a back seat. Now, she’s taking the time she needs to address them.
Still, Dolly wants everyone to know she’s not slowing down completely.
“I’m still workin’,” she said.
The update comes after Parton was unable to attend the opening of Dollywood’s new NightFlight Expedition roller coaster on Aug. 14. Instead, she appeared virtually during the ceremony and explained that her doctor had advised her not to travel.
Parton told fans that she had experienced occasional dizziness and dehydration before joking that her doctor had “clipped [her] wings” for the week.
The missed appearance follows a string of health-related changes to Parton’s schedule over the past year. In September 2025, she revealed that kidney stones had led to an infection that temporarily prevented her from traveling. She later postponed and ultimately canceled her planned Las Vegas residency while undergoing treatment and working to regain the stamina necessary to perform.
At the time, Parton reassured fans that she was responding well to treatment and that doctors considered her health concerns treatable.
Parton also missed her 80th birthday celebration at the Grand Ole Opry in January, though she returned to the public eye in June for the opening of Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop.
And retirement doesn’t appear to be on the agenda.
Parton is continuing to work on Dolly: A True Original Musical, the Broadway production inspired by her life and career. She is producing the show, which will tell her story through her own words and music.
She’s also considering how technology could let her keep performing without the physical demands of a traditional tour. Parton revealed that she’s in the early stages of exploring avatar performances, acknowledging she no longer has the energy for extensive touring.
As for the increased attention surrounding her health, Parton believes today’s always-online culture can make things seem more alarming than they are.
After decades as the self-proclaimed “Queen of the Tabloids,” she joked that she might now be the “Queen of Social Media AI.”
Health challenges or not, it’s clear that Dolly still has plans.