Dolly Parton promises that she is “back to normal” following health scare
Dolly Parton has made her first public appearance in months after a health scare forced her to cancel a string of shows last year, and has reassured fans she is now “back to normal”.
Parton took to the stage on March 13th at Dollywood in Tennessee to celebrate the theme park’s 41st season with a big smile on her face.
The country icon addressed the crowd, beginning, “I’ve been doing a whole lot of things. I have been not touring, as you know, I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them.”
She postponed her Las Vegas concerts at the end of 2025 to undergo procedures. It was later confirmed that she was suffering from kidney stones, only months after her husband, Carl Dean, passed away at the age of 82.
Addressing this, the star went on, “I just kind of got wore down and wore out, grieving over Carl and lot of other little things going on. I needed to build myself back up, spiritually, emotionally and physically.”
Parton has found the light at the end of the tunnel: “But all is good. It didn’t slow me down. I’m back to normal.”
Dean and Parton were married for six decades, and she has referenced him lovingly throughout her career. This was no different at Dollywood, where Parton said, “I don’t think I’ll ever be married.”
She went on merrily, “I think Carl Dean’s waiting for me on the other side. And if I should show up at the pearly gates with somebody else, he would not like that. He’d be saying, ‘Who’s that little pisser? You leave him outside the gates, and if the Lord wants him in, he’ll bring him. You get on in here with me!’”
After an audience member questioned her on the advice she lives by, Parton also added, “Never forget who you are, never forget where you came from, and always kind of go back home. You can always go back home in your heart and in your mind.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.