Dolly Parton is “taking good care” of herself and in a “good” place amid her ongoing health struggles.
The country music legend gave the positive update on Friday as she delivered a keynote address at the opening day celebration for her Dollywood theme park’s landmark 41st season.
“I’ve not been touring, as you know. I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them,” she assured the audience, adding that the death of her husband, Carl Dean, last year has also been hard on her.
“I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on,” Parton explained. “I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But, all is good. It didn’t slow me down.”
For her first major public appearance in months, Parton stunned in a corseted dress with bedazzled embellishments and wore her platinum-blond hair in a signature, voluminous updo.
She was joined onstage by the president of the Dollywood Company, Eugene Naughton, and joked that fans might’ve mistaken him for her “new husband.”
But Parton, 80, confirmed she’s “not dating anybody.”
“I think Carl Dean’s waiting for me. If I should show up at the pearly gates with somebody else, he would not like that. He’d be saying, ‘Who’s that little pisser? You leave him outside the gates,’” she quipped.
Her cheerful appearance comes two months after Parton was forced to skip her 80th birthday celebration at the Grand Ole Opry due to her continued health struggles.
One week before the event, the iconic venue shared an Instagram Reel of the “Jolene” singer sadly confirming that she would have to miss it, but she told her fans to “have the best night ever” and expressed her gratitude for the celebration.
Last September, Parton announced she was postponing her Las Vegas residency due to “health challenges.”
“I want the fans and public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts. As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures,” she wrote via Instagram at the time.
The “9 to 5” songstress clarified that she would “still be able to work on all of [her] projects” in Nashville, where she lives, but “just need[s] a little time to get show ready.”
Parton concluded her post by telling fans, “I love you and thank you for understanding.”
Earlier that month, Parton pulled out of an appearance at Dollywood due to kidney stones. In a taped video message to fans, she said she was following advice from her doctors to rest.
“Turns out there was an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling around this minute, so you need a few days to get better,’” she said. “So he suggested I not go to Dollywood today.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’m gonna be OK,” she added. “Just can’t do it today.”
Three months later, Parton’s goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, gave a positive update on the “Steel Magnolias” star.
“She’s always gonna keep the show going,” Cyrus told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “The show must go on. She’s just excited to get back to work.”
