Dolly Parton Confirms What We Suspected With Latest Update On Her Health
Fans miss Dolly Parton. The country star has been a bit under the radar after a few unfortunate events that made everyone worry about her health. However, there was no better time than the Dollywood opening day for the singer to make an appearance and talk about how she's been feeling. The theme park's namesake spoke at Dollywood's keynote address in mid-March 2026. Her speech happened a few weeks after Eugene Naughton — the president of the Tennessee theme park — told local outlet WVLT News how in 2025, Dollywood welcomed almost 4 million guests.
During the address — also broadcast through WVLT News — Parton displayed her usual sense of humor, but didn't refrain from mentioning serious aspects about her life. The music icon stated how she wasn't actively performing on tour. "I've had a few little health issues and we're taking good care of them," Parton continued. She seemingly confirmed what we suspected about her health when she said, "I just kind of got wore down and wore out, grieving over Carl [Dean, her late husband] and a lot of other little things going on. I just got myself kind of, you know, just where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But all is good. It didn't slow me down."
Parton said she will push through her health concerns
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean stayed married for a whopping 59 years. The couple took to the letter the part of their vows in which they promised to stay together til death. Carl died in March 2025, and in subsequent months, Parton's health seemed to falter.
One of the early signs that she wasn't in best shape came when Parton started missing events. She announced that her Las Vegas residency would be postponed. Then, she missed a presentation in Dollywood back in September 2025 after her doctors found out that she had an infection from a kidney stone and recommended she didn't travel.
Despite all this, Parton assured fans that it's all just a bump in the road. Still during her lengthy keynote address in Dollywood, she continued: "I've just been doing a lot of writing, a lot of thinking, a lot of praying, and a lot of getting ready for a lot of new stuff coming up ... for the rest of this whole year. So, be ready for me. I ain't done, I ain't near done." For instance, Parton is directly involved in the development of the Broadway musical titled "Dolly: A True Original Musical," which is set to debut in 2026.