Dolly Parton shared an update on Friday amid ongoing health issues following the death of her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.
When speaking to People, Parton said, “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when
I was watching over Carl.” “It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” she said, noting that in the early 1980s she was “down for several months with female issues.” Parton pointed to today’s “24/7 world with social media” and how it magnifies every incident in “ways it wasn’t years ago.”
In true Parton fashion, she quipped, “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!” On a more serious note, she added, “Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’.”
Parton told the outlet that she’s also looking at ways to bring fans new experiences. The singer said that she’s currently working with companies to create “avatar performances” and they are still in the “early stages of development.”
On Thursday, Parton appeared virtually to accept the Poet’s Award at the Academy of Country Music Awards, one of multiple recent eventsthe country legend joined remotely (she was never scheduled to attend the ACM Honors to appear in person).
Parton was also unable to attend the recent opening of her Dollywood theme park’s newest ride, the NightFlight Expedition, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Instead, Parton greeted fans virtually via video, wearing a pair of sparkling wings. “Now I’ve told you before, all my fans, that I have had a few little health issues,” Parton said in the clip. “And sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated. And I’m dehydrated. And so my Nashville doctor clipped my wings, saying you ain’t traveling this week.”
Though Parton has been dealing with ongoing health setbacks, she’s still been busy with multiple projects. Her SongTeller Hotel in Nashville — which includes two live music venues, a speakeasy, a cafe, and the Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum — is scheduled to open next month. According to the museum’s website, it will be the “largest exhibit celebrating her life anywhere in the world, spanning every dynamic decade from the top of the mountains to the top of the world.”
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