Dolly Parton’s health struggles in her own words: What she shared in the year before her death

Brianna ZiglerTue, August 25, 2026 at 10:42 PM UTC

0

Dolly Parton speaks onstage at Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs In Symphony World Premiere at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on March 20, 2025, in NashvilleCredit: Jason Kempin/GettyKey Points -

Dolly Parton had been dealing with health issues since September 2025, including an infection caused by a kidney stone.

She canceled her Las Vegas residency amid ongoing treatments but assured fans she was “improving every day.”

Parton died on Aug. 25, 2026, at the age of 80.

Leading up to the beloved country star’s death on Aug. 25, Dolly Parton had become increasingly open about her health issues following the death of husband Carl Dean in March 2025.

In October of that year, Parton revealed that while taking care of Carl and after his death, she had neglected her own well-being. In an Instagram video assuring fans that she was okay, she explained, “Back when my husband Carl was very sick, that was for a long time, and then when he passed, I didn’t take care of myself, so I let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of.”

Just four days prior to her death in August 2026, Parton again acknowledged having neglected her health. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, she said, “As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”

Despite those health struggles, Parton remained optimistic about her future and determined to keep working. “Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’! You know me — as I’ve often said — I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life,” she said.

Ahead, Entertainment Weekly retraces a difficult year for Parton and her health, in the country icon’s own words.

September 2025: Parton postpones her Las Vegas residency

Dolly Parton attends the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on Nov. 5, 2022, in Los AngelesCredit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

On Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, Parton was set to make an announcement for the newest attraction at her theme park, Dollywood. However, she was unable to attend due to an infection caused by a kidney stone. In a video explaining the situation to fans, Parton said, “Hello Dollywood! It’s me. I know — and I’m here, and you’re there. And you’re wondering why that is? Well, I had a little problem.”

She continued, “I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems, turned out it’d given me an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling right this minute, so you need a few days to get better.’”

Eleven days later, she posted to Instagram announcing that her six-show Las Vegas residency would be postponed until the following September. “As many of you know, I’ve been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures,” Parton wrote.

“As I joked with them,” she continued, “it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”

October 2025: Parton’s sister asks fans to “pray for her”

Dolly Parton as special guest host of the 53rd Annual CMA Awards in NashvilleCredit: Mark Seliger/ABC via Getty

A little over a week after Parton postponed her Las Vegas shows due to health issues, her younger sister, Freida, took to Facebook to encourage Parton’s fans to keep her in their thoughts and prayers. “Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly,” Freida wrote. “Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead [sic] to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.”

Freida continued, “She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!”

Later that day, Freida posted another message to Facebook to apologize for stoking unnecessary panic. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” she wrote. “She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer.”

The very next day, Parton posted a video to Instagram to assure fans that she was doing okay. “Well, today’s October the 8th and obviously I’m here,” she said. “I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here.”

Advertisement

She continued, “I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate. I appreciate your prayers ‘cause I’m a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything. But I want you to know that I’m okay.”

March 2026: Parton gives an update at a Dollywood event

March 2026 marked Parton’s first appearance on stage in six months, and she took the opportunity to give fans an update on how she was doing. At the opening-day celebration for Dollywood’s 41st season, Parton said, “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 had previously stated she would not be attending the event, but ultimately made a surprise appearance. She told the audience, “I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on. 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.”

Despite taking time away from public appearances, Parton had continued working, including on her autobiographical Broadway musical, Dolly: A True Original Musical, which was scheduled to begin previews later in 2026. She also denied rumors that she’d started dating again, joking, “I think Carl Dean’s waiting for me. If I should show up at the pearly gates with somebody else, he would not like that. He’d be saying, ‘Who’s that little pisser? You leave him outside the gates.’”

May 2026: Dolly cancels her Las Vegas residency

‘Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas’Credit: Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty

In May 2026, Parton announced that she would have to cancel her Las Vegas residency, which had previously been postponed due to her health issues. She captioned the Instagram video announcing the cancellation, “Thank you for standing by me and showing me so much love and support over the past year. I’ve still got some healing to do, but I am on my way! See you soon. 💖 🦋.”

In the video, Parton first shared a positive update. “The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day,” she explained.

She continued, “Now, the bad news is that 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 swimmy-headed, as my grandma used to say.”

“When they raised the hood on this old antique,” Parton added, comparing her body to an old car, “they realized that I need to rebuild my engine and that my transmission is slipping, my oil pan is leaking, 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. I know I’m still crazy, but they didn’t mention anything about my mental health.”

She went on to apologize for having to cancel her Las Vegas shows. “I am truly sorry that I’m going to miss all of you that had tickets to see me in Las Vegas,” she said. “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, and I’ll see you somewhere down the line.”

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

August 2026: Parton reassured fans about her health 4 days before her death

Dolly Parton performs at ‘Dollyverse Powered By Blockchain Creative Labs on Eluv.io at The Moody Theater on March 18, 2022, in AustinCredit: Rick Kern/FilmMagic

On Aug. 21, Parton opened up to PEOPLE about how dealing with health problems was hardly new to her. “You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this,” she said. “Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health.”

“But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago,” she continued. “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’.”

A week earlier, on Aug. 14, she had shared another video to social media assuring fans that she was recovering. “I’ve told you before, all my fans, that I’ve had a few little health issues and sometimes I get a little dizzy and I get dehydrated. And I’m dehydrated. So my Nashville doctor has kind of clipped my wings, saying, ‘You ain’t traveling this week.’ So I guess if your doctor tells you, ‘You ain’t traveling this week,’ you ain’t traveling this week.”

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”