Dolly Parton casually delivered some disappointing news to fans after canceling her Las Vegas residency due to her ongoing health issues.
The 80-year-old admitted in a new interview that due to her “hard times” with her health, her live performances may look very different in the future.
Dolly hinted that she may not perform live again after revealing she is working with companies that create “avatar performances” to bring a musical experience to fans.
While she didn’t divulge any further or confirm that her touring days are behind her, she did reveal to People that they are in the “early stages of development.”
Why Dolly canceled her Vegas residency
The “Jolene” singer announced in May that she was canceling her Las Vegas residency to give herself more time to recover and revitalize herself.
In a lengthy video shared on Instagram, she explained that she had “good news and a little bad news” to share with fans “concerning my health.”
Dolly revealed that she’s currently on “meds and treatments” and is responding quite well to them; as for the “bad news,” she comically compared her health to a run-down car, saying: “My transmission is slipping, my oil pan is leaking and my muffler’s busted; and my shocks and pistons need to be replaced.”
© Getty ImagesAs Dolly put it, she was feeling “swimmy-headed,” quoting a phrase her grandmother would use to denote that she would get dizzy and easily fatigued with too much exertion.
While also noting that she frequently passed kidney stones, she added: “But seriously, my immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past couple of three years, and they’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those. And hopefully I’ll be up to snuff again soon.”
Dolly’s latest health update
© InstagramIn her latest interview, Dolly admitted that she let her health take a backseat when she was caring for her late husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at age 82.
“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” she said.
“It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” she continued, recalling the early 1980s when she was “down for several months with female issues.”
© Dolly Parton“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!”
She added: “Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’.”
© FilmMagicDolly’s latest health update comes after she pulled out of her appearance at Dollywood on Friday, August 14, at the last minute on orders from her doctor.
Dolly was due to attend the opening of the theme park’s new $60 million roller coaster, NightFlight Expedition, but her health woes forced her to appear virtually instead.
Just as the event was about to kick off, Dolly appeared in a video with large, colorful butterfly wings flapping on her back, revealing that she had been ordered to stay at home.
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