Dolly Parton has made her first major public appearance since revealing a series of health issues earlier this year, telling fans she has been rebuilding herself 'spiritually, physically and emotionally' after grieving the death of her husband.
The 80-year-old country star appeared in good spirits during a keynote speech at her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood, on Friday. She had postponed concerts last year for unspecified medical treatment and said she had been 'worn down and worn out' in recent months.
'I've had a few little health issues, and we're taking good care of them,' Parton told the audience, adding that she had become exhausted while caring for her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, before his death in March 2025 at age 82.
Parton joked that fans should not mistake a company executive for her 'new husband', insisting she is 'not dating anybody'. She quipped: '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.'
The singer had cancelled several appearances, including her Las Vegas residency, and addressed concerns in an October Instagram video, stating she was 'okay' and undergoing treatments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 'I'm not ready to die yet,' she said then.
