Dolly Parton shared a moving Thanksgiving message with her devoted fans, in a sweet attempt to put their minds at ease following months of concern over her health.
In a touching Instagram video, the country legend looked polished and radiant as she addressed her followers directly, saying: ‘Well hey! It’s Dolly here, and I want to wish all of you and your family blessings this Thanksgiving.Â
‘I am so thankful for all of you and for the memories that we’ve shared through the years,’ she continued. ‘So Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and just know that I will always love you.’
The emotional message sparked an outpouring of affection in the comments, with fans describing the 79-year-old as a ‘light in this dark world’ and thanking her for her ‘amazing energy and example.’
One admirer wrote: ‘Grateful for souls like yours this Thanksgiving, Dolly! We love you!’ while another added: ‘You’ve been a sweet comfort to me since my childhood. You are a shining beacon of light and hope.’
The sweet post comes just two months after Parton postponed several concerts from her upcoming Dolly: Live in Las Vegas residency due to what she described as ‘health challenges’ requiring medical procedures.
Dolly Parton shared a moving Thanksgiving message with her devoted fans this week, offering her blessings as she put minds at ease following months of concern over her health
At the time, the superstar reassured fans she was not stepping away permanently.
‘I want the fans and public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts,’ she said in a statement.Â
The superstar added: ‘As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures.’
Despite the setback, Dolly maintained her signature humour, joking that she was heading in for her ‘100,000-mile check-up,’ clarifying it was not her ‘usual trip to see my plastic surgeon.’
Last month, concern around her well-being intensified after her sister Freida Parton publicly asked fans to pray for the Tennessee-born icon.
Dolly soon broke her silence in a candid Instagram video, firmly reassuring supporters that she was okay.
‘I ain’t dead yet! Do I look sick to you? I’ve got some problems, as I’ve mentioned… nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home,’ the 9 to 5 crooner insisted.
She later insisted her condition is currently stable, telling People magazine she refuses to let age slow her down.
In a touching Instagram video, the country legend looked radiant as she addressed her followers directly, saying: ‘It’s Dolly here, and I want to wish all of you and your family blessings this Thanksgiving’
‘People say, “Well, you’re going to be 80 years old.” Well, so what? Look at all I’ve done in 80 years. I feel like I’m just getting started,’ she said.
‘If you allow yourself to get old, you will. I say, ‘I ain’t got time to get old!’ I ain’t got time to dwell on that.’
Dolly also addressed rumors head-on, adding: ‘There’s a lot of rumors out there… but I want you to know that I’m OK! I’m not dying! I ain’t done yet – I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done workin’.’
Parton has previously spoken openly about suffering from kidney stones, including episodes in 2015 and again recently, though she has stressed that her current treatments are ‘not that serious.’
‘I am so thankful for all of you and for the memories that we’ve shared through the years,’ she continued. ‘So Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and just know that I will always love you’
Earlier this year, her husband, Carl Dean, died at age 82.
‘Oh, you know what, I get very emotional when people bring it up,’ Parton told Today’s Savannah Guthrie in May. ‘But we were together 60 years. I’ve loved him since I was 18 years old.’
The I Will Always Love You singer added that she was very thankful for all the messages she received since her beloved husband’s death.
‘I’m so thankful. I’ve gotten so many cards, letters, flowers, from all over the world,’ she shared before jokingly adding. ‘I had no idea Carl Dean was so famous.’
The emotional message sparked an outpouring of affection in the comments, with fans describing the 79-year-old as a ‘light in this dark world’ (pictured in November 2023)
Several weeks after Dean’s death, Parton told Knox News, ‘I’m doing better than I thought I would. I’ve been with him 60 years. So, I’m going to have to relearn some of the things that we’ve done. But I’ll keep him always close.’
She also shared insight into the end of her famously reclusive husband’s life, revealing that he struggled leading up to his death.
‘He suffered a great deal,’ Dolly said. ‘I’m at peace that he’s at peace, but that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him.’
She went on to say, ‘It’s a hole in my heart, you know, but we’ll fill that up with good stuff and he’ll still always be with me.’
