Dolly Parton has made the difficult decision to cancel her Las Vegas residency, stating that she still needs time to heal. The iconic 9 to 5 songstress, now 80, had previously missed an appearance at her Dollywood theme park due to a kidney stone that caused her some issues. In September, she also postponed her Vegas show due to ongoing health concerns, but had planned to return to the stage soon.
In a recent social media update, Dolly shared that she is not yet ready to perform, especially if it means dancing in her high heels. “First it’s concerning my health and I have some good news and a little bad news,” she said. “The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day. 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 added, “Of course I can’t be dizzy, carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five inch heels. And you know that I’m gonna be wearing them!” In her usual upbeat manner, Dolly joked that anyone would feel “swimmy headed” with her big hair, heavy rhinestones, and big personality.
Her original Las Vegas run was set to begin on December 4 and end on December 13, but the shows were rescheduled for this September. When she first announced the Las Vegas stint in June 2025, thousands of fans scrambled for tickets to see her perform across six nights at Caesars Palace.
Dolly compared herself to an “old classic car” that needed its engine rebuilt, joking that her “oil pan is leaking” and her “muffler is busted.” She also quipped that she didn’t want to “lose her spark,” teasing that she is “still crazy” but that the doctors “didn’t mention nothing about [her] mental health.”
Her health issues seem to be connected to her long-standing kidney stone problem. In a more graphic description, Dolly mentioned that they’ve been removing stones from her more often than a quarry does.
The I Will Always Love You hitmaker revealed that her immune and digestive systems have become “out of whack,” so she needs to strengthen them. “Happy heart is like good medicine,” the country legend continued after joking about her health. She admitted that she knows she was making light of her situation, but she felt it was important to share how she was feeling.
Dolly also mentioned that she’s hoping to get her hotel and museum sorted this year, and she’s still working on her musical biopic as well as recording new music. She expressed her sincere apologies to those who had purchased tickets for the Las Vegas shows, encouraging fans to still visit the city and not cancel their trips.
After updating fans on her health, Dolly shared some thoughts on how she’s coping after the death of her husband, Carl Dean.
Carl passed away at the age of 82 on Monday, March 3, 2025, in Nashville, after spending six decades together. Their love remained private, away from the public eye. Dolly admitted that the year without him had been “hard,” but she said, “I will always love him and I will always miss him.”
She thanked fans for helping her “heal” from the loss, sharing a story about how Carl reminded her she wasn’t getting any younger when she complained about aches and pains. “I said, ‘Well honey, you’ve got to remember that as long as there are plastic surgeons in this world, I’m not getting any older,’” she laughed.
Dolly ended her update by assuring fans that her doctors told her “everything is treatable,” so she expects to be back soon.
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