Dolly Parton Makes First Major Appearance in Months After Health Concerns: ‘I Needed to Build Myself Back Up’

Dolly Parton made her first public and in-person appearance of 2026 on Friday, sporting her signature blonde bouffant and a big smile on her face. When taking the stage at Dollywood in Tennessee to celebrate the theme park’s 41st season, the country icon said, “I’ve been doing a whole lot of things. I have been not touring, as you know, I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them.” Parton postponed her Las Vegas concerts toward the end of 2025 to undergo unspecified procedures to address health concerns.

The postponements arrived months after the death of her husband, Carl Dean, at the age of 82 . The couple had been married for nearly six decades. “I just kind of got wore down and wore out, grieving over Carl and lot of other little things going on,” continued Parton. “I needed to build myself back up, spiritually, emotionally and physically.

But all is good. It didn’t slow me down,” she said, before momentarily becoming distracted by a stray hair and joking, “I’m back to normal.” Parton...