Dolly Parton has cancelled her Las Vegas residency and shared a health update, telling fans that “everything I have is treatable”.
The country icon and most popular public figure in America had postponed the run of shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in October, saying at the time that she had been facing several ”health challenges” and would not be able to complete rehearsals in time.
In an Instagram video posted earlier today (May 4), she said she had “some good news and a little bad news”.
“But the good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day,” she said. “Now, the bad news is it’s gonna take me a little while before I’m up to stage performance level, because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit ‘swimmy-headed,’ as my grandma used to say.”
She continued: “I am truly sorry that I’m going to miss all of you that had tickets to see me in Las Vegas. I’ll see you somewhere down the line… I have great doctors and I’m doing really well, and they assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I’m going with that.”
The shows were originally scheduled for December 2025, before being postponed until December this year.
Sharing the root cause of her medical issues, she added: “I’ve told you before that I’ve always had problems with my kidney stones. Lord, they dig more stones out of me a year than the rock quarry in Rockwood, Tennessee. But seriously, my immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past [couple of] years, and they’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those, and hopefully I’ll be up to snuff again soon.”
After postponing them last October, Parton’s sister Freida sparked fears when she posted on social media, asking fans to keep Dolly in their 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,” she wrote.
In a follow-up post, Freida clarified her original statement, saying she “didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly.”
Parton herself posted a video to reassure fans a few days later. “I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am,” she said in a video from the set of a Grand Ole Opry commercial. “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here.”
In March, she made her first public appearance in several months, delivering a keynote speech at Dollywood. “I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on,” she added, noting the loss of her husband Carl Dean, who she was married to for 58 years before his death last March.
“I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But, all is good. It didn’t slow me down.”