Dolly Parton offered her fans a health update, revealing that she will not go forward with a Las Vegas residency she had already delayed ten months and explaining, “it’s going to take me a little while before I’m up to stage performance level.”
“I have some good news, and a little bad news,” the country legend said in a video posted to her Instagram on Monday. “The good news is, I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day.”
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“Now, the bad news is, it’s going to take me a little while before I’m up to stage performance level, because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy headed — as my grandma used to say,” the “I Will Always Love You” singer continued.
“And, of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars, and such on five inch heels — and you know that I’m going to be wearing them. Not to mention all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big personality,” Parton quipped.
The country star further jokingly described herself as “an old classic car, that once restored, can be better than ever.”
“When they raised the hood on this old antique, they realized that I need to rebuild my engine and that my transmission is slipping, my oil pan is leaking, and my muffler’s busted, and my shocks and pistons need to be replaced,” she said.
“And, for sure, my spark plugs need to be changed, because you know, as well as I know, that I can’t lose my spark,” Parton added. “I know, I’m still crazy, but they didn’t mention nothing about my mental health.”
The “Jolene” singer went on to say, “I’ve always had problems with my kidney stones,” adding, “My immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past couple of three years, and they’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those.”
“The truth is, I am still working, I still do videos, I still record, I run up and down to Dollywood now and then. And I’m working hard on getting my museum and my hotel open in Nashville later this year,” Parton said.
“And I am spending a lot of time writing and reworking on my Broadway musical. It’s called, Dolly: A True Original Musical, and that’s going to be opening later in New York this fall or early winter,” the 80-year-old singer added.
“Oh, I know you’re thinking, ‘Lord, sick or well, that girl’s always promoting something.’ Well, that’s true, but that’s how you get it done,” she quipped.
Parton added, “On a more serious note, I am truly sorry that I’m going to miss all of you that had tickets to see me in Las Vegas — well, you get on to Vegas, and you have a big time, and hopefully sometime you’ll come up to New York and maybe see my show.”
“I’ll see you somewhere down the line,” she continued. “But I just want you know also that a lot of you have been concerned about me and Carl, and you are so great about that.”
Notably, Parton’s husband of 58 years, Carl Thomas Dean, passed away in March 2025, at the age of 82.
“After going through a year of firsts, I mean the holidays, and especially our wedding anniversary, and the day of his death, March 3rd, you know, that was hard for me, but I will always love him, and I’ll always miss him,” Parton told her fans.
“But you would be surprised at how much your love and concern meant to me during that time,” the country legend added. “From the bottom of my heart, I think you. You have been a big part of my healing.”
Parton concluded her video, saying, “I have great doctors, and I’m doing really well, and they assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I’m going with that — and I just want you to know I thank you for standing by me and that I will always love you.”
As Breitbart News reported, back in September, Parton postponed her first Las Vegas residency in 32 years, citing “health challenges.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.