The country icon says she’s “doing fine” after rumours spread about her health and cancelled shows

 Dolly Parton has reassured fans that she’s “alive and kicking” after rumours about her health spiralled online this week.

In a light-hearted video shared on Instagram and YouTube, the 79-year-old country music legend addressed speculation that she was seriously ill, joking: “I ain’t dead yet!”

“I know lately everybody thinks I’m sicker than I am,” she said, speaking from the set of a Grand Ole Opry commercial. “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here.”

Parton’s message came after she postponed her Las Vegas residency and withdrew from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards in November, where she had been due to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The cancellations, combined with a Facebook post from her sister Freida asking fans for “prayers,” led to growing concern among followers.

“Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned,” she said. “I appreciate your prayers because I’m a person of faith.”

Parton did not share specific details about her condition, but explained that she has been undergoing minor medical treatments near her Nashville home. “When my husband Carl was very sick, and then when he passed, I didn’t take care of myself,” she said, referring to her late husband Carl Thomas Dean, who died in March aged 82.

“When I got around to it, the doctor said, ‘We need to take care of this, we need to take care of that.’ Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt [Hospital].”

Her manager, Olly Rowland, later confirmed that Parton had been treated for kidney stones and was recovering well. “It looks like her sister posted, and it got quite a bit blown out of proportion,” he said.

Freida Parton also clarified her comments, saying she hadn’t meant to alarm fans. “She’s been a little under the weather,” Freida said. “I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. Thank you all for lifting her up.”

Despite recent health challenges, Parton appeared in good spirits in her new video, wearing a bright outfit and flashing her trademark smile. “I don’t think God is through with me,” she said. “And I ain’t done working.”

Her withdrawal from the Las Vegas shows, which were set to begin 4 December at Caesars Palace, marked her first cancelled residency in over three decades. At the time, she made light of the news on social media, saying, “It must be time for my 100,000-mile checkup — although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”

Parton has kept a remarkably busy schedule in recent years. Her 2023 album Rockstar, which featured collaborations with Elton John, Debbie Harry, Sting, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, reached the top five in both the US and UK charts. Her follow-up record, Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables, released in 2024, explored her Appalachian roots and included songs recorded with members of her family.

Earlier this year, she also teamed up with Mötley Crüe for a reimagined version of Home Sweet Home, and in July, a musical based on her life, Dolly: A True Original Musical, premiered in Nashville with plans for a Broadway run.

Throughout it all, Parton has insisted she has no plans to retire. Speaking to The Guardian last year, she said: “I can’t retire. I’ll just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday.”

For now, though, the star wants her fans to know she’s not going anywhere. “I’m going to be just fine,” she said in the closing moments of her video. “Thanks for caring — and don’t be worrying. I’ll let you know when I’m really sick. But for now, I’m still here — and I ain’t dead yet!”