Dolly Parton is opening up about the toll the last year has taken on her health, tracing it back to the time she spent caring for her late husband, Carl Dean, before his death in March 2025.
"I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn't pay attention to when I was watching over Carl," Parton told People, days after she was forced to skip the opening of Dollywood's new NightFlight Expedition ride due to dizziness and dehydration.
The 80-year-old country icon says she put her own care aside during her husband's illness, and is now working through the consequences - kidney stones, dehydration episodes, and what she's previously described as feeling "swimmy-headed" from medication. Even so, Parton insists she's on the mend. "All is going well on the medical end of things," she said in her most recent video update.
The health news arrived alongside a piece of good news: Parton confirmed her long-awaited Life of Many Colors Museum, part of her new SongTeller Hotel complex in Nashville, remains on track. Billed as the largest exhibit ever built around her life and career, the museum is set to open later this year alongside two live music venues, a speakeasy, and a café.
Parton has been candid throughout this season about needing to slow down without stepping away. As she put it in an earlier update, "God hasn't said anything about stopping yet." For an artist whose faith has anchored her through decades in the spotlight, that steady trust continues to shape how she's facing this latest chapter - one health update, and one new project, at a time.
Related article: Dolly Parton, 80, Misses Another Major Event As Health Issues Continue
