Dolly Parton says she is still recovering from the health problems that have changed some of her public plans, but slowing down creatively does not appear to be part of the conversation.
In a new PEOPLE interview, the 80-year-old country legend said she has been through some "hard times" with her health and acknowledged that she put some of her own needs aside while caring for her late husband, Carl Dean. "Even though I'm still healin', I'm still workin'," she said.
Dean died in March 2025 at age 82 after nearly 60 years of marriage to Parton. She told the publication that she is now dealing with health issues she "just didn't pay attention to" while looking after him, without identifying one diagnosis as the explanation for everything she has been experiencing.
Her workload nevertheless remains extensive. Parton is preparing to open her SongTeller Hotel and the largest museum exhibition ever devoted to her life, while continuing to work on music, products and even an early-stage idea for avatar performances that could offer fans another way to experience her songs.
Parton's latest comments add context to the health updates she has been sharing throughout 2026. She told PEOPLE that this is not the first difficult stretch she has experienced physically, recalling that health issues also sidelined her for months during the early 1980s. What feels different now, she said, is the intensity of the attention surrounding every update in the social-media era.
#Health #people #told
In a new PEOPLE interview, the 80-year-old country legend said she has been through some "hard times" with her health and acknowledged that she put some of her own needs aside while caring for her late husband, Carl Dean. "Even though I'm still healin', I'm still workin'," she said.
Dean died in March 2025 at age 82 after nearly 60 years of marriage to Parton. She told the publication that she is now dealing with health issues she "just didn't pay attention to" while looking after him, without identifying one diagnosis as the explanation for everything she has been experiencing.
Her workload nevertheless remains extensive. Parton is preparing to open her SongTeller Hotel and the largest museum exhibition ever devoted to her life, while continuing to work on music, products and even an early-stage idea for avatar performances that could offer fans another way to experience her songs.
Parton's latest comments add context to the health updates she has been sharing throughout 2026. She told PEOPLE that this is not the first difficult stretch she has experienced physically, recalling that health issues also sidelined her for months during the early 1980s. What feels different now, she said, is the intensity of the attention surrounding every update in the social-media era.
#Health #people #told
2 months ago
