Although music icon Dolly Parton is canceling her residency in Las Vegas, she appeared in good spirits as she gave her fans a video update regarding her health.
“I have some good news—and a little bad news,” said Parton. “But the good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day.”
“Now, the bad news is it’s going to take me a little while before I’m up to stage-performance level,” she continued, “because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit ‘swimmy-headed,’ as my grandma used to say.”
“And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five-inch heels. And you know that I’m going to be wearing them,” said Parton. “Not to mention all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big, uh, personality. Lord knows that would make anybody swimmy-headed.”
Parton went on to compare herself to “an old classic car that once restored, can be better than ever.” Parton, 80, said that she has been suffering from kidney stones, as well as with issues related to her immune system and her digestive system.
But Parton expressed confidence that with treatment, she will “be up to snuff again soon.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t say ‘snuff,’” she joked. Referring to her immune system and digestion, she added, “Snuff wouldn’t be very good for either of those, would it?”
“Anyway, I know I’m being silly, but I’m just trying to keep everything light and airy,” said Parton. Referencing Proverbs 17:22, Parton said, “They say, ‘A happy heart is like good medicine.’”
“Do you think I might be overmedicating myself right now?” she asked with a smile.
Parton has long been vocal about her Christian faith which often shines through her musical collaborations—from partnering with Christian band for KING + COUNTRY on “God Only Knows” to making it clear to pop star Sabrina Carpenter that she doesn’t cuss or “make fun of Jesus” before agreeing to collaborate on “Please Please Please.”
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Parton has also long been seen as an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. “I have some of everybody in my own immediate family and in my circle of employees,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. “I’ve got transgender people. I’ve got gays. I’ve got lesbians. I’ve got drunks. I’ve got drug addicts—all within my own family. I know and love them all.”
