Dolly Parton‘s health troubles are serious enough to force her to cancel a planned Las Vegas residency in September.
In a video posted to social media, the country queen tried to lighten the mood with metaphors and anecdotes before delivering the sad news.
“I am truly sorry that that I’m going to miss all of you that had tickets to see me in Las Vegas,” she says about three minutes into a five-minute-long message to fans.
Elsewhere on social media and on Reddit, fans report getting notices of cancelations around 12PM CT on Monday (May 4) and a check of Ticketmaster confirms all dates are canceled.
She’d already postponed the shows from last December to this fall once due to health. There are currently no live performance dates on her calendar but she shares she’s hard at work on her Broadway musical, expected in late fall or early winter.
What’s Wrong With Dolly Parton?
The only specific health issue Parton has shared with fans is an infection brought on by kidney stones. That news came last September, just before she moved the Vegas shows.
The response was a bit panicky in part because her sister Frieda asked fans to pray for Dolly’s health. She’d later say she didn’t intend to indicate the famous singer’s health woes were serious.
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In this new video, Parton once again refers to multiple incidents with kidney stones and adds that her immune system and digestive system are out of whack. This comes after a lengthy car metaphor that she jokes her way through. Her transmission, oil pan, muffler, pistons, shocks and spark plugs all need fixing or replacing.
The good news is, “I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day,” Parton shares at the start, but the medications make her “swimmy headed.” Thus her inability to perform.
“They assure me that everything I have is treatable,” the 80-year-old says at the end.
Dolly Parton Still Grieving Her Late Husband Carl
Also included in this video is an update on Parton’s emotional well-being following the death of her husband Carl. March 3 marked one year and the singer says that date was hard. So too was their anniversary, his birthday and the holidays, but fan support helped pull her through it.
Read More: Dolly Parton’s Husband Carl Dean Dead at 82
Previously, Parton confessed to ignoring her own health as she cared for her husband. The initial postponement of dates was because she let some things go too long, but then as now she assured fans they didn’t need to worry.
Phrases like “responding really well to meds and treatments” don’t do much to ease fears.
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Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
