Dolly Parton Cancels Vegas Shows After Giving Fans “A Little Bad News” in Health Update

Dolly Parton hopped on Instagram Monday morning to share “some good news and a little bad news” with fans concerning her health.

Videos by American Songwriter

View this post on Instagram

The 80-year-old has decided to cancel her upcoming shows in Las Vegas. This choice follows a decision she made in October to reschedule these shows for September 2026.

“Well, hey there, it’s Dolly,” the singer began. “And I’m here to give you an update on a few things going on in my life.”

Parton started out her video message by explaining that she’s been “responding really well to meds and treatments” and “improving every day” healthwise, before breaking the bad news.

“Now the bad news is, it’s gonna take me a little while before I’m up to stage performance level,” she explained,”because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy-headed, as my grandma used to say.”

She continued lightheartedly, “And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars, and such on five-inch heels — and you know that I’m going to be wearing them. Not to mention, all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big… uh, personality. Lord, those — that would make anybody swimmy headed!”

She then apologized to fans who’d bought tickets for the Vegas shows.

“I am truly sorry that I’m going to miss all of you that had tickets to see me in Las Vegas,” she said. “Well, you get on to Vegas, and you have a big time… And I’ll see you somewhere down the line.”

A Brief Timeline of Parton’s Health Struggles

Back in September of 2025, Parton took to social media to tell fans that she was postponing shows in Vegas to undergo a “few procedures.”

Then, in a video posted in October with the caption “i ain’t dead yet!”, Parton updated fans on why she’d been struggling with her health.

View this post on Instagram

“I’m OK. I’ve got some problems, as I mentioned,” the singer shared. “Back when my husband Carl was very sick — that was for a long time. And then, when he passed, I didn’t take care of myself. So, I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of.”

Carl Dean, Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, passed away on March 3, 2025.

In March of this year, while speaking at the opening of Dollywood Parks and Resorts, Parton explained that she’d needed some time to get herself back to feeling like normal.

“I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally and physically,” she shared. “But, all is good.”

In her most recent update on Instagram, Parton assured fans that she is “still working” on plenty of projects, and hopes to see them “somewhere down the line.”

Photo by: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images