MUSIC
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton’s health battles, illnesses and canceled shows before her death
Sameen ChaudhryUSA TODAY
Updated Aug. 25, 2026, 5:22 p.m. ET
Dolly Parton had been candid about a series of health setbacks in the months leading up to her death, with the country music icon repeatedly scaling back travel and professional commitments as she underwent treatment
Parton died Aug. 25 at 80, her family announced. Her death came days after she offered one of her most extensive updates yet on her health, in which she said she was still recovering but remained determined to work
The “Jolene” singer had dealt with health issues before. In 2015, she underwent treatment for kidney stones, a problem she would later reveal had continued to affect her for years
Look back at what Parton shared about her health, the appearances she missed and the performances she postponed or canceled in the years leading up to her death
Dolly Parton opens up about ‘hard times’ with her health four days before death
Just four days before her death, Parton again addressed her health in an interview with People
Parton said some of the medical problems she was facing were issues she had ignored while caring for her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025
“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to,” she said
She also reflected on an earlier period of illness in the 1980s, when she said she had been sidelined for months by “female issues,” noting that her recent struggles were not the first time she had endured serious health setbacks
Even as she continued recovering, Parton said she had no intention of abandoning her work. “Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’!” she said
Four days later, Parton’s death was announced. A cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, and neither Parton’s family nor her representatives have linked her death to any of the health problems she discussed publicly in the preceding months
Dolly Parton said she neglected her health while caring for husband Carl Dean
Dean, Parton’s husband of nearly six decades, died at age 82
Parton later said she became so focused on caring for her husband that she stopped paying enough attention to her own health. In an October video addressing concern about her condition, Parton said that after Dean became ill, she “didn’t take care of myself” and allowed some medical issues to go unattended
“So I let a lot of things go that I should have been taken care of,” she said, explaining that doctors were working to address those problems. “So anyway, when I got round to it, the doctor said, ‘We need to take care of this. We need to take care of that.’ Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, you know, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there.”
Dolly Parton kidney stone infection forced her to miss Dollywood event
The first major sign that Parton’s health was beginning to affect her professional schedule came in September 2025
Parton had been expected at Dollywood on Sept. 17 for the announcement of NightFlight Expedition, a new attraction at her Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, theme park. Instead, she addressed attendees in a prerecorded video, Us Weekly reported
Parton explained that a kidney stone had caused an infection and her doctor advised her not to travel
“I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems,” Parton said, adding that doctors told her she needed several days to recover
Dolly Parton Las Vegas concerts postponed
Less than two weeks later, Parton announced she was postponing all six concerts in her planned “Dolly: Live in Las Vegas” engagement at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace
The shows, originally scheduled for Dec. 4-13, 2025, were pushed to September 2026
Parton said doctors had told her she needed “a few procedures” and that she would not have enough time to properly rehearse and prepare for the performances
“As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges,” she said in a statement posted on Instagram. Still, Parton stressed she was not retiring
“Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” she said. “But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.”
Dolly Parton’s sister calls for prayers, sparking concern over health: ‘I’m not ready to die’
Concern intensified Oct. 7 when Parton’s sister, Freida Parton, publicly asked fans to pray for her
Freida Parton said her sister had not “been feeling her best lately,” prompting an outpouring of concern. She later clarified that she did not mean to suggest Parton was gravely ill, saying she was simply asking for prayers for her older sister
The following day, Parton addressed the speculation herself in a video captioned, “I ain’t dead yet!”
“I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am,” Parton said. “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here!”
Parton acknowledged she had “some problems” that required treatment but pushed back against speculation that she was dying. “There are just a lot of rumors flying around,” she said. “But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was OK.”
She added: “I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done working.”
Parton missed Hall of Fame induction on doctors’ orders
Parton’s health continued to restrict her travel in November, when she was unable to attend her induction into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Hall of Fame in Orlando
Parton, who was honored for her influence on Dollywood and the theme park industry, instead appeared through a prerecorded video.”I sure wish I could be with you in person today, but you probably heard that I’ve been dealing with a few health challenges this fall and my doctors told me to take it easy for just a little while,” she said
Parton also accepted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award remotely at the Governors Awards around the same time. Her publicist, however, told USA TODAY that her absence from that ceremony was not health-related and had been caused by a scheduling conflict disclosed to the Academy months earlier
Return to Dollywood
After months of limited public appearances, Parton returned to Dollywood for the park’s season opening March 13 and spoke directly about her recovery
“I’ve had a few little health issues and we’re taking good care of them,” Parton told the crowd
She also connected the difficult period to the grief she experienced after Dean’s death
“I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on,” she said
Parton said she had needed to build herself back up “spiritually, emotionally and physically,” but assured fans that “all is good.”
Dolly Parton cancels Las Vegas shows, reveals immune and digestive issues
On May 4, Parton announced that the Las Vegas concerts she had previously postponed would no longer take place
In a video shared with fans, Parton said she had long dealt with kidney stones and revealed that her immune and digestive systems had become “all out of whack” over roughly the previous three years. Doctors were working to strengthen both systems, she said
Parton also said she was “responding really well to meds and treatments” and improving every day but wasn’t yet physically capable of performing a full-scale concert. Some treatments left her feeling “swimmy-headed,” she said, joking that dizziness did not mix well with carrying instruments, wearing 5-inch heels and performing in heavy rhinestone costumes
Doctors had assured her that “everything I have is treatable,” Parton said. “It’s going to take me a little while before I’m up to stage-performance level,” she added
Parton continued working from home on several projects, including her Broadway musical, “Dolly: A True Original Musical,” and plans for a Nashville hotel and museum. “I’ve still got some healing to do, but I am on my way!” she told fans
Dolly Parton makes a rare in-person appearance two months before her death
Parton returned to the public eye June 24, making a surprise appearance at the grand opening of Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee
The appearance came roughly seven weeks after she canceled her Las Vegas concerts and was among her few in-person public outings during her recovery
Dizziness and dehydration keep Dolly Parton from Dollywood
Parton’s health once again disrupted her schedule two weeks before her death, when she had been expected at Dollywood for the dedication of NightFlight Expedition, the same attraction whose announcement she had missed the previous September
Parton appeared by video Aug. 14 instead, telling fans that she sometimes experienced dizziness and dehydration and was dehydrated at the time
“My Nashville doctor, who’s kind of clipped my wings, [is] saying, ‘You ain’t traveling this week,'” Parton said, according to previous USA TODAY coverage
Still, she told fans that “all is going well on the medical end of things” and said she remained busy with other projects
