Dolly Parton, 80, Reveals Heartbreaking Cause Behind Recent Health Issues

Dolly Parton has opened up about the deeply personal reason behind her recent “health issues,” addressing concern from fans after she canceled several appearances and postponed plans tied to her Las Vegas residency.

The 80-year-old country music icon spoke candidly about facing “hard times with my health” in an interview with People published Friday.

Parton, beloved worldwide for hits including Jolene, said she had put her own well-being on the back burner while caring for her late husband, Carl Dean, who died last year at age 82 on March 3, 2025.

“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” Parton told the outlet.

“It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” she added, recalling a difficult period in the 1980s when she was “down for several months with female issues.”

The Tennessee-born star also noted that social media has intensified public reaction to celebrity health updates, saying that “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’.’ 

Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Parton for comment, but has yet to hear back.  

Earlier this month, Parton sparked fan concern after she canceled an appearance at her Dollywood theme park last-minute. 

The singer, whose brother passed away last month in July, instead made a virtual appearance to celebrate the grand opening of a new rollercoaster called NightFlight Expedition, per Knoxville News Sentinel.

‘I’m still in Nashville, and I’m sorry about that,’ the Jolene hitmaker explained in a video shown on a large screen to fans.

‘I’m supposed to be there in person, like we planned. Now I’ve told you before, all my fans, that I have had a few little health issues.’

Parton, who wore a pink dress and shimmering fairy wings, said that sometimes she will get ‘a little dizzy’ and also ‘dehydrated.’

‘And I’m dehydrated. And so my personal doctor has kind of clipped my wings saying, “You ain’t traveling this week.”‘

The music artist added, ‘So I guess if your doctor tells you you ain’t traveling this week, you ain’t traveling this week.’

Towards the end of the clip, Parton expressed that she likes to keep fans ‘in the loop, like I said I would, on everything.’

Dollywood is notably located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee which is a little over three hours away from Nashville. 

Back in May, the songstress canceled her six-date Las Vegas residency called Dolly: Live at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum.

The shows had originally been scheduled for later this year in September, but Parton had cited undisclosed ‘health challenges’ as the reasoning behind the cancellation.

Shortly after, the star shared an update to fans as she explained that she ‘always had problems with my kidney stones.’

However, her immune system and digestive system ‘got all out of whack’ over the past three years and need to be ‘rebuilt and strengthened.’

‘The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day,’ she added to her social media followers.

‘Now, the bad news is, it’s gonna 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.’

Parton 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!’

While the singer admitted at the time that she ‘has some healing to do,’ she added that she was surrounded by ‘great doctors.’

‘I’m doing really well and they assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I’m going with that.’

Parton had initially been set to kick off her Las Vegas residency in December 2025, but previously announced that she had to ‘postpone’ the residency to September 2026 due to ‘some health challenges.’

Back in June, Parton made her first public appearance since the cancellation of her Las Vegas residency.

She had returned to the spotlight at the opening of Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee. 

Earlier this year in March, she also attended Dollywood’s 41st season opening day celebration.

It came after the singer sparked concern after not attending her 80th birthday concert at the Grand Ole Opry in January and only made a virtual appearance at the 2026 BRIT Awards.

‘I’ve been up to a lot,’ the country singer expressed to the crowd, per WLOS News 13.

‘I’ve not been touring, as you know. I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them.’

Parton then candidly opened up about her late husband’s death and said, ‘I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on.’

She added, ‘I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But, all is good. It didn’t slow me down.’ 

Parton had also fueled further concern after she announced that she would not be attending her 80th birthday tribute concert at the Grand Ole Opry.

However, a source told Our News Outlet that her absence from the event was not medical related.

Last month, it was revealed that the singer’s brother Coy ‘Denver’ Parton passed away at age 82 on July 23. 

During her latest interview with People, Parton also talked about her new museum called Life Of Many Colors, which is located inside her SongTeller Hotel in Nashville. 

It is described as ‘the largest exhibit celebrating her life anywhere in the world, spanning every dynamic decade from the top of the mountains to the top of the world,’ per the official website. 

‘Her transformative career takes guests on the road, behind the scenes, on set and backstage of her most iconic moments.’ 

Tickets for the museum are available beginning on September 29, according to the website.