Dolly Parton Cancels Las Vegas Shows Due to Health Issues

Dolly Parton is canceling her previously postponed Las Vegas residency due to ongoing health issues, but tells fans, “I’m improving every day.”

The 80-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer posted an Instagram Reel on Monday (May 4) and gave fans an update on her shows, her health and other projects she has in the works.

“I have 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.

“The bad news is, it’s going to 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. “And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five-inch heels and you know I’m going to be wearing them. Not to mention all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big, uh, personality,” she added with a giggle. “That would make anybody swimmy headed.”

She also compared herself to a timeless automotive, saying, “Just think of me as like an old classic car, that once restored, can be better than ever. But when they raised the hood on this old antique, they realized that I need to rebuild my engine and that my transmission is slipping. My oil pan is leaking and my muffler’s busted, and my shocks and pistons need to be replaced. And for sure, my spark plugs need to be changed, because you know as well as I know that I can’t lose my spark.”

She went on to say, “I know, I’m still crazy, but they didn’t mention nothing about my mental health. But you know, 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 three years and they’re working real hard of rebuilding and strengthening those. And hopefully, I’ll be up to snuff again soon.”

She told fans “I am truly sorry” that she won’t be seeing them in Vegas, but she did update fans on her plans to continue working toward the opening of her new SongTeller Hotel and museum that is slated to open this year in Nashville. Parton also said she is “rewriting and reworking” her musical Dolly: A True Original Musical which is set to open on Broadway in 2026.

Parton also spoke about adjusting to life since the passing of her husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at age 82. Dean and Parton had been married for nearly six decades.

“Also, a lot of you have been concerned about me and Carl and you were so great about that,” Parton said in the video. “But after going through a year of firsts, I mean the holidays, and especially our wedding anniversary, and the day of his death, March 3, you know that was hard for me, but I will always love him and I will always miss him. But you would be surprised at how much your love and concern meant to me during that time. Lord, my house and my porch looked like the botanical gardens with all the flowers and my den looks like the post office with all the cards and letters. So yes, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. You have been a big part of my healing.”

Of her health, Parton reassured fans, saying, “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 and I just want you to know that I thank you for standing by me and that I will always love you.”

_Originally reported by [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/country/dolly-parton-shows-vegas-health-1236238123/)._