Dolly Parton Gives Health Update: ‘I Have Some Good News And a Little Bad News’

Dolly Parton is staying honest with fans as she shares an update on both her physical and mental health and reveals the status of her postponed Las Vegas shows set to run in September.  

The country music icon shared the update in a video message, explaining how she’s doing and why she’ll need some time to recover before getting back on stage.

“First, it’s concerning my health, and I have some good news and a little bad news,” Parton began. “The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day. 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. And of course I can’t be easy 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. Lord, knows those…that would make anybody swimmy headed.”

Parton then told fans to think of her as an “old classic car” that just needs to be restored a bit and then will 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. 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,” she joked, keeping the mood lighthearted.

To translate what the “9 To 5” singer was trying to say, she still dealing with some ongoing problems with kidney stones as well as her immune and digestive system, noting they “got all out of whack over the past couple years.”

“They’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those. And hopefully I’ll be up to snuff again soon,” she added.

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As she continues to work on her physical health, Parton assured fans that her mental health is still going strong and she is continuing to work throughout this time by making videos, recording and making trips to Dollywood. On top of all that, she is preparing for the opening of her museum and hotel in Nashville later this year, as well as reworking her Broadway Musical, DOLLY: A True Original Musical.

Additionally, Dolly Parton was scheduled to head to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas this September for a six-show run that was previously postponed from December 2025. Unfortunately, today’s message finds her apologizing for having to miss those upcoming shows as well, as she continues to heal. All of the September shows have officially been canceled, according to the official Ticketmaster website.

“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…hopefully sometime you’ll come up to New York and maybe see my show and I’ll see you somewhere down the line,” Parton said with hope in her voice.

To conclude her video, the Tennessee native expressed the utmost gratitude for all the kind and supportive message she has received, especially surrounding the death of her husband Carl Dean last March.

“After going through a year firsts, I mean, the holidays and especially our wedding anniversary and the day of his death, March 3rd, that was hard for me, but I will always love him and I’ll always miss him, but you would be surprised at how much your love and concern meant to me during that time,” she stated. “Lord, my house and my porch look like the botanical gardens with all the flowers and my den looked like the post office with all the cards and letters. So yes, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. You have been a big part of my healing.”

She joked that she used to tell her late husband that while she may not be getting any younger, she is grateful for the efforts of plastic surgeons to help her keep her looking young on the outside. Still, she emphasized that she takes her internal health very seriously and is hopeful she’ll continue to improve.

“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. Thank you,” Parton concluded.