Dolly Parton spoke out in an August 21 People Exclusive about where her health stands, saying she’s “staying busy” while facing “hard times” health-wise. The interview comes the week after the 80-year-old icon was forced to cancel a planned appearance at the opening of Dollywood’s new NightFlight Expedition rollercoaster.
The “former “American Idol” mentor says one thing that contributed to her recent struggles was the fact that she overlooked some warning signs while busy caring for her ailing husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 of an undisclosed cause. Her most recent public appearance was on June 24, when she spoke in-person at the opening of Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville.
In 2019, Dolly was able to add “Hallmark alum” to her many other titles after playing herself in the channel’s holiday film “Christmas at Dollywood.”
The “Coat of Many Colors” crooner told the mag, “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”
She then hinted that her the social media spotlight has blown her recent health issues, which forced her to fully cancel her Vegan residency back in May, out of proportion. She reflected, “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. 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’.”
This latest update marks the most recent of several instances where the “Jolene” singer has spoken out about her heath. She has not given many specifics exactly how serious her conditions are, but did mention facing kidney stones in a statement regarding her shuttered residence.
Dolly Parton Cited Dehydration Among Concerns That Sidelined Her from Last Week’s Dollywood Event
Appearing on video to address last Friday’s Dollywood crowd virtually, Dolly said, “I’m still in Nashville, and I’m sorry about that. I’m supposed to be there in person, like I planned.” She went on to say, “I’ve had my butterfly wings flappin’ since May 15, when we were due to open the first time. And again in June.” Her reference to the coaster’s opening being repeatedly pushed back for additional safety testing drew laughter from the crowd.
She then reminded fans, I’ve told you before, all my friends, that I’ve had a few little health issues. And sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated. And I’m hungry.” Because of these symptoms, she said her doctor has to occasional “clip my wings” and hold her back from traveling on certain weeks.
She promised, “All is going well on the medical-everything.”
Dolly Parton Planning ‘Avatar’ Performances
Dolly says she and her team are hard at work looking for ways to still deliver performances for the fans while she is out of commission. She said collaborations with companies who create avatar performances for artists are in the “early stages of development.”
Back in 2023, EW reported the band Kiss was planning to use the technology to “become immortal” following their blowout farewell concert at Madison Square Garden. “We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we’ve never dreamed of before,” co-lead vocalist Gene Simmons explained. The method, which takes its name from the groundbreaking tech used in James Cameron’s “Avatar” franchise, maps stars’ body movements and facial expressions onto digital characters.
