Parton’s physical and emotional health seemed to never recover after the loss of her husband, Carl Dean, at 82 in March 2025.
Concern first flared last September when Parton revealed she was battling “a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems,” forcing her to miss the unveiling of a new attraction at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
She also postponed her Las Vegas residency, revealing only that she needed to undergo “a few procedures” while keeping the true nature of her condition hidden from the world. She joked that she’d told doctors “it must be time for my 100,000-mile checkup, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon.”
At the time, an insider told Radar, “The life she lives now without (Dean) is crippled in comparison. To know that she will never be the same absolutely has affected her deeply.”
“Emotionally, personally, physically, it all has taken a toll,” the source continued. “This loss will and has forever changed her and is a main reason that she has had health issues as of late.”