Over the past few months, fears have grown for the health of the 80 year-old country music legend Dolly Parton. These concerns were spurred at the end of September when Parton postponed her Las Vegas residency from December of 2025 to September of 2026 due to health issues.
In a new interview, Parton’s longtime music producer Kent Wells is updating fans on the “Jolene” singer’s health.
Update On Parton’s Health
Wells told Parade that Parton is doing “great” amidst concerns over her health.
“She was over here at my studio last week,” Wells said. “And she seems great. She’s singing great, she looks fantastic and seems perfectly fine.”
Wells went on to say that he isn’t exactly sure what was going on with Parton’s health in the fall. However. He’s pretty sure that the issue was “fairly serious” because Parton was forced to cancel things, which is something that she would never typically do.
“I feel like she’s great,” Wells insisted. “She says she’s great. She says there’s no issue. They got it all taken care of, and that’s all I know.”
Not stopping there, Wells claimed that Parton is “100%.”
Parton Turns 80
This comes after Parton celebrated her 80th birthday last week on January 19. The next day, she released the song “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.” It features Parton’s fellow singers Miley Cyrus, Lainey Wilson, Reba McEntire, and Queen Latifah.
“Thank you for all the birthday wishes and the love for “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.” And special thanks to my friends @laineywilson, @mileycyrus, @reba and @queenlatifah for lending their incredible voices to the song,” Parton wrote in the caption of a video posted to Instagram on January 20.
Wells produced “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.” He described the experience of making this song as being “pretty cool.” Wells added that he’s really proud of the work done to bring the remake to life.
This comes after Parton had a difficult 2025. Aside from her health struggles, Parton also lost her husband Carl Dean, who she was married to for nearly sixty years. Dean died in March of last year at the age of 82.
“I really feel his presence. I just try to go on, because I know I have to,” Parton told The Independent in May. “And he was ill for quite a while, and part of me was at peace that he was at peace and not suffering anymore. But that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it.”
Parton Leans On Her Faith
Parton went on to talk about how her strong Christian faith has helped her come to terms with her husband’s death.
“I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to see him again someday,” she explained.
“And I see him every day in my memories and in my heart, and in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we’ve built together,” Parton continued. “You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans – but that’s the hardest part.”
Last month, an insider close to Parton said that she “may never recover” from Dean’s death.
“She’s desperately trying to rally herself back to work, but it is very difficult,” the insider told Radar Online. “The loss is hitting her so hard. Her friends are very worried.”
“Carl’s death knocked the wind right out of her. She’s trying to rally herself, but most days she looks lost,” the source added. “Carl was her rock. She depended on him more than people realized.”
This has clearly been an extremely difficult few months for Parton. Here’s hoping that what Wells said is correct, and that Parton is back at “100%” when it comes to her health.
God bless you, Dolly Parton!