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Dolly Parton shares health update after missing latest public appearance
The singer was forced to miss another event last week due to health issues.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
- Molly Moss
Published: Saturday, 22 August 2026 at 11:11 am
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Dolly Parton has shared a health update after the star was forced to miss the grand opening of a new attraction at her Dollywood theme park.
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The country music star, who turned 80 this year, had been scheduled to appear for the launch of roller coaster NighFlight Expedition in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, earlier this week, but appeared via a recorded video from her home in Nashville instead.
In a video on Instagram, the Jolene singer told fans that she had been suffering from dizziness and dehydration, and that her doctor had advised her against making the trip to the theme park.
Now, speaking to People, Parton said that she put her own health struggles to one side while caring for her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who passed away in March 2025.
“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” Parton said.
Dolly Parton. Terry Wyatt/WireImage
She also noted that this isn’t the first time she’s had to deal with health issues, recalling a time in the 1980s when she was “down for several months with female issues”.
“It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” she explained.
She continued: “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’.”
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Back in May, Parton also cancelled her Las Vegas residency due to health concerns, revealing in a video on Instagram that “everything I have is treatable” but said it would take a while “before I’m up to stage performance level”.
The singer had originally been scheduled to perform six shows at Caesars Palace in December, but postponed the dates to September 2026.
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Authors
Molly MossTrends Writer
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
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