Dolly Parton Cancels Las Vegas Shows for Health Reasons, But Says She’s ‘Improving Every Day’

Dolly Parton has canceled her Las Vegas residency, citing ongoing health issues while assuring fans that she’s been “responding really well to meds and treatments” and “improving every day.”

The country legend was originally set to perform six shows at Caesars Palace in Vegas last December, but the gigs were postponed due to “health challenges.” The concerts were rescheduled for September 2026, but in her new video message, Parton admitted she needed more time before she was “stage-performance ready.” 

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

In the clip, Parton shared a few more details about her ongoing health issues, saying they’re related to a longstanding problem with kidney stones. “Lord, they dig more stones out of me a year than the rock quarry in Rockwood, Tennessee,” Parton quipped, before adding. “But seriously, my immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past couple three years. And they’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those.” 

Parton said her doctors have assured her that “everything I have is treatable,” but part of the reason she decided to call off the Vegas shows was that some of her medications and treatments make her “a little bit swimmy headed.”

“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,” Parton said, before delivering a vintage Dolly joke: “Not to mention, all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big… uh, personality. Lord, those — that would make anybody swimmy headed!” 
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But while Parton won’t be performing live anytime soon, she noted she’s been busy as ever. She mentioned video and recording projects, as well as ongoing work on a museum and hotel that are set to open in Nashville later this year. She also said she’s “spending a lot of time writing and reworking” a Broadway musical that’ll open either in the fall or early winter. 

She also thanked fans for their continued support, especially in the year since the death of her husband, Carl Dean. “After going through a year of firsts, I mean the holidays, and especially our wedding anniversary, and the day of his death, March 3, that was hard for me,” she said. “But I will always love him, and I’ll always miss him, but you would be surprised at how much your love and concern meant to me during that time. Lord, my house and my porch looked like the botanical gardens with all the flowers, and my den looked like the post office with all the cards and letters… You have been a big part of my healing.”