Dolly Parton is giving fans more details about her health in a new update, vulnerably sharing some of what she’s gone through recently. See what the country music legend and former “The Voice” guest mentor said about how she’s doing.
Dolly Parton Shares 2026 Health Update
On March 13, Parton was on hand at the opening day celebration of Dollywood’s 2026 season, where she took a moment to address her health.
Fans have been understandably concerned after the singer postponed concerts and canceled appearances. This was her first major public appearance in months.
“I’ve been up to a lot,” she told the crowd, noting that she took a break from her Las Vegas concert dates and other appearances the last six months to recover.
Parton continued, “I’ve not been touring, as you know. I’ve had a few little health issues and we’re taking good care of them.”
“I just kind of got wore down and wore out, grieving over [her late husband] 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,” she noted. “It didn’t slow me down.”
The singer added, “I bet Carl Dean’s waiting for me on the other side. 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 … ‘”
Parton Shared a Health Update in October 2025: ‘I Ain’t Dead Yet!’
After Parton postponed her 2025 Vegas shows, fans became concerned about the singer’s health.
Parton took to Instagram in October 2025 to give an update about how she was feeling and explain more. She captioned the video: “I ain’t dead yet!”
She noted, “I wanted to say, I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here!”
“Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate,” Parton continued. “And 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.”
The country star addressed her health at the time, sharing, “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.”
She assured that there was “nothing major” happening with her health, but she had to address some “problems.”
“I did have to cancel some things to be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I’m having a few treatments here and there,” the country singer explained.
Parton added, “But I wanted you to know that I’m not dying … There’s just a lot of rumors flying around. But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was okay … I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me and I ain’t done working.”
