Dolly Parton has provided her fans with an update regarding her health after missing several significant events recently.
The 79-year-old country music icon, who is also a co-owner of the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, was scheduled to attend an event earlier this week to commemorate her induction into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions’ Hall of Fame.
Nevertheless, medical professionals advised her against traveling due to an undisclosed health issue, prompting her to address the situation in a video shared on Instagram.
“I sure wish I could be with you in person today, but you probably heard that I’ve been dealing with a few health challenges this fall, and my doctors told me to take it easy for just a little while,” Parton stated in the video.
“I’m truly sorry I can’t be there, but I sure wanted to take the chance to say thank you for this incredible honor.”
Parton also missed another significant event, as she had to decline the opportunity to receive an honorary Oscar at the 16th annual Academy Governor’s Awards shortly before this announcement.
There has been much speculation about Parton’s health since September, when she canceled several performances in Las Vegas due to what she called “health challenges.”
While specific details remain unclear, Parton did share that her doctors had advised her to undergo “a few procedures.”
“As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!” she humorously noted.
Speculation grew stronger a month later when Parton’s sister Freida asked for prayers for the singer on Facebook, compelling Parton to directly address the rumors.
“I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am,” Dolly Parton said in her video, “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here!”
“Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate and I appreciate your prayers,” she continued, “because I’m a person of faith.”
Staying put in Nashville, Parton has been receiving care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she is undergoing “a few treatments here and there.”
She has not disclosed the specifics of these treatments but has assured her fans that she is doing well.
In the video, Parton mentioned that she had been neglecting some of her own health issues to care for her husband Carl Dean, who passed away in March at the age of 82.
“I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of,” she explained.
She did, however, clarify that her health situation is not something ‘major’ for fans to worry about.
“There’s just a lot of rumors flying around,” she said. “But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was OK.”
“I’m not ready to die yet,” she concluded, “and I don’t think God is through with me and I ain’t done working. So I love you for caring and keep praying for me.”