Dolly Parton Says She's Not Ready for Stage

Dolly Parton's long-awaited return to the stage in Las Vegas will be delayed a bit longer. The 78-year-old singer has canceled her Caesars Palace residency, which had already been pushed from December 2024 to September 2026 over health concerns, saying she still isn't "stage-performance ready." In a video to fans, Parton said that she's "responding really well to meds and treatments" and "improving every day," Variety reports, but that the regimen leaves her "a little swimmy headed." That's not ideal, she joked, for hauling instruments and rhinestones on five-inch heels.

The singer said she's had a hard time since her husband, Carl Dean, died in March 2025, especially around the holidays, their wedding anniversary, and the anniversary of his death, per People. "I've still got some healing to do, but I am on my way!" she wrote. Parton apologized to ticket holders, urging them to go to Vegas anyway and "have a big time." The shows, billed as "Dolly: Live in Las Vegas," would have been her first run of concerts since her 2016 "Pure & Simple" tour.