NEED TO KNOW
Dolly Parton is on the mend.
Fans of the country legend grew worried when she announced in September that she would be postponing her Las Vegas residency from December to September 2026.
However, “Dolly is getting better every day,” a source close to Parton tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
“She is at home taking care of herself while many friends and family visit her,” the source adds of Parton, 79, who just released her new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage. “In true Dolly spirit she has already started decorating for the holidays — her favorite time of year.”
Jim Wright
Nearly two months before she postponed the string of concerts due to “health challenges,” Parton sat down with PEOPLE for a cover shoot and interview. During the discussion, she opened up about her busy schedule, as well as her upcoming 80th birthday, which she’ll celebrate in January.
For more on Dolly Parton, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.
Jim Wright
“People say, ‘Well, you’re going to be 80 years old.’ Well, so what? Look at all I’ve done in 80 years. I feel like I’m just getting started,” she tells PEOPLE. “I know that sounds stupid, but unless my health gives way, which right now I seem to be doing fine . . . I think there’s a lot to be said about age. If you allow yourself to get old, you will. I say, ‘I ain’t got time to get old!’ I ain’t got time to dwell on that. That’s not what I’m thinking about.”
In September Parton canceled a public appearance over a kidney stone-related infection, then announced that she would be postponing the upcoming residency dates. Fans feared the worst, but the Queen of Country set the record straight in an Oct. 8 Instagram video, explaining that she neglected her own health while taking care of, then grieving, her husband Carl Dean, who died at 82 in March.
Lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick?” a spirited Parton said in the video. “I let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of. So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said, ‘We need to take care of this. We need to take care of that.’ Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home. . . . But I wanted you to know that I’m not dying.”
Ten Speed Press
In her new book Star of the Show, Parton looks back at her seven-decade career and what she’s learned.
“I’m at that point in my life where I just want to be able to do good things that can be carried on,” she says. “I’m proud of my legacy so far, and I hope to just continue to do things that might be of use to other people.”
Dolly Parton’s new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage is out now.
