Country star Dolly Parton has said she is “truly sorry” to those who have tickets to see her in Las Vegas as she announced she is cancelling her previously postponed residency due to ill health.
The 80-year-old singer had originally been scheduled to perform six shows at Caesar’s Palace last December but moved the dates to September 2026. She has now announced on social media that she won’t be able to perform as planned.
In an Instagram video, Parton said that while she is “responding really well to meds and treatments” and is “improving every day”, it is “going to take me a little while before I’m up to stage-performance level”.
Parton said that the meds and treatments are making her “swimmy-headed” and she can’t be “dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five-inch heels”.
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She added: “But just think of me as an old classic car, that once restored, can be better than ever.”
While September’s dates might be cancelled for now, Parton also added that she is still working, including making videos and running “up and down to Dollywood now and then”. She is also aiming to open her museum and hotel in Nashville later this year while also working on her Broadway musical.
“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,” she said.
Parton also captioned the video: “Thank you for standing by me and showing me so much love and support over the past year. I’ve still got some healing to do, but I am on my way! See you soon.”
Last October, Parton took to social media to dispel rumours that her health was worsening. She then had to withdraw from November’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors awards, where she was set to receive the Jean Hersholt humanitarian award.
[ Dolly Parton ‘going to be just fine’ says singer’s sister amid health problemsOpens in new window ]
Parton has previously discussed problems with kidney stones, which she mentioned again in the most recent video. Her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died at the age of 82 last year.
The star made a public appearance in March of this year when she gave a keynote speech at her Dollywood theme park.
In April, Parton topped a list of most favourable global figures in a YouGov poll, beating out Barack Obama and Volodymyr Zelenskiy. – Guardian
