Tragic Details About Dolly Parton’s Health Struggles

On September 29, 2025, Dolly Parton, the almost 80-year-old groundbreaking country singer, shared with fans that she’d been struggling with some health problems. The musical icon wrote in an Instagram post, “As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures.”

Along with her announcement came the postponement of her Las Vegas residency. The singer wrote, “In all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you.” This candid post revealed only the most recent of Parton’s health concerns. On September 17, 2025, she was set to appear at her Tennessee amusement park, Dollywood, but was unable to make it. In a video shown to guests, Parton revealed that she was recommended not to travel by her doctors due to a kidney stone.

As these health announcements continued to come from Parton at a dizzying rate, the singer was forced to miss events celebrating her career milestones. Parton was set to be awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The country singer’s long list of charitable endeavors were celebrated, but Parton shared in late September that she’d be unable to attend the ceremony due to her persistent health struggles. The “Jolene” singer’s increasing medical issues continued to plague her with pain in a year of heartbreak, as in March, Parton lost her husband of 60 years.

Dolly Parton’s wit in the face of tragedy

In a year full of strife, grief, and illness, Dolly Parton has remained her always hopeful and unstoppably witty self. In the same post that announced her need to step away from her residency in Las Vegas due to complications with her health, Parton joked, “It must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeons!” The singer’s quick wit, cheerful demeanor, and charming disposition — especially during difficult times — made us forget that Parton has faced tragedy before.

For so long, the country singer has been able to greet the world with a smile and joke — even at times poking fun at herself. Parton has simply always found a way to make even the hardest of battles appear to be the easiest. She concluded her Instagram post on a hopeful note for fans, writing, “And don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet.”

Fans were left fearing the worst and were concerned about country music legend Dolly Parton after her sister, Freida Parton, informed them in a Facebook post that she had been praying for her. Now, her manager has given an update about the “Jolene” singer’s health.

Dolly Parton’s Rep Comments on Her Health

Parton’s manager, Olly Rowland, addressed the speculation about her health in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday, October 7, Us Weekly reports.  “It’s just the kidney stones, and the procedure she needs to resolve those,” he said. “It looks like her sister posted, and it got quite a bit blown out of proportion, weirdly.”

This is a welcome update for fans who were previously concerned about Parton, thinking she had a mystery illness. The news came after she had canceled several shows, which she announced via an Instagram post on September 28. Her reason was due to health-related issues.

The wording of Freida’s Facebook post grabbed attention immediately.

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Dolly Parton’s Sister Asks for Prayers

“Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly. Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been led to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me,” Freida wrote on October 7. “She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my silly Dolly. We all love you.”

Fans reacted to the post with an outpouring of love. “I’m going on the record that if Miss Dolly needs a kidney or any other body part I can spare, it’s hers. No exaggeration. I mean it,” a fan wrote.

“Tell your sister the only relief from a kidney stone that I know of (cause I’ve had plenty) is bend over backwards over a barbed wire fence. She’ll probably get a kick out of that,” another fan shared.

A third person shared, “Dolly is a strong woman. Her life is very much private. You know it is dire when family start asking for prayers. I love her very dearly. I hope she starts to feel better soon. We need and want her.”

Freida later updated fans that the Facebook post had been taken out of context and that she had not meant to scare them with her message. “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” she wrote.

She continued, “She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister. Thank you all for lifting her up. Your love truly makes a difference.”

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Dolly Parton Postpones Vegas Residency Due to ‘Health Challenges’

“I know [that] lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am,” Parton said in a video filmed on Wednesday on set for a Grand Ole Opry commercial. “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here.”

Parton added: “Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate, and I appreciate your prayers because I’m a person of faith.”

Parton did not elaborate or specify on the “health challenges” that also forced her to withdraw from November’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards, where she was set to receive the Jean Hersholt humanitarian award. But she made clear that she was undergoing medical treatments near her home in Nashville.

“As I mentioned 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 have been taken care of,” she said, referring to her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, who died aged 82 in March. “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.”

Rumors that Parton was seriously ill intensified on Tuesday when her sister Freida wrote in a Facebook post that she had been “up all night praying” for the 79-year-old superstar.

“Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately,” she wrote. “I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead [sic] to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.”

Freida later clarified that Parton was just “a little under the weather” and not seriously ill. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” she said. “She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer … Thank you all for lifting her up.”

Parton’s manager, Olly Rowland, confirmed that Parton had been treated for kidney stones, and added: “It looks like her sister posted, and it got quite a bit blown out of proportion.”

Parton was supposed to begin a six-concert run at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on 4 December – her first extended Vegas run in 32 years – but uncharacteristically withdrew, citing “health challenges” that required visits to the doctor.

In a post to her Instagram at the time, she lightheartedly added: “As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile checkup, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”

Parton has regularly stayed in the public eye in recent years. Her 2023 album Rockstar reached the US and UK top five, on the strength of collaborations with the likes of Elton John, Debbie Harry, Sting and, on a cover of Let It Be, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. On her 2024 album Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables, she collaborated with members of her family.

In June, Parton collaborated with the rock band Mötley Crüe on a new version of their song Home Sweet Home. And a musical based on her life, Dolly: A True Original Musical, premiered in Nashville in July, aiming for a Broadway run.

In her Instagram post on Wednesday, Parton – who told the Guardian last year that she “can’t retire” – reassured that she was “not ready to die yet”.

“I don’t think God is through with me,” she added, “and I ain’t done working.”

Dolly Parton’s sister says she has been “up all night praying” for the singer as she continues to deal with unspecified health problems.

Freida Parton wrote that her 79-year-old sister “hasn’t been feeling her best lately”, two weeks after the singer postponed a Las Vegas residency scheduled for December, citing “health challenges”.

“Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly,” Freida Parton wrote on Facebook.

“Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.

“She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!”

Freida’s comments caused widespread concern for Parton. She later wrote a second message, saying: “I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly. She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer … Thank you all for lifting her up.”

Parton’s manager, Olly Rowland, said Parton had been treated for kidney stones, and added: “It looks like her sister posted, and it got quite a bit blown out of proportion.”

Parton was due to begin Dolly: Live in Las Vegas, the singer’s first extended run of concerts in the city in 32 years, at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on 4 December but it has been rescheduled for September 2026.

The singer announced that she has “been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures”.

She did not give details but added light-heartedly: “As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile checkup, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”

She continued: “In all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you … I just need a little time to get show ready, as they say.

Dolly Parton Postpones Vegas Residency Due to ‘Health Challenges’

“And don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet. 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. I love you and thank you for understanding.”

Asked about the possibility of retirement in an interview last year, Parton told the Guardian: “Oh, my Lord, I can’t retire. I always say I’ve dreamed myself into a corner. I’ve got to keep all those dreams alive. Every dream spins off into some something else … I couldn’t retire if I wanted to. And I don’t want to.”

Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died aged 82 in March.

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