Dolly Parton Delivers Thanksgiving Message of Gratitude Amid Health Procedures
Dolly Parton extended warm wishes to fans through a video message released on Thanksgiving. The country music icon, aged 79, expressed deep appreciation for the support received during recent medical treatments. She emphasized resilience in the face of personal trials, drawing from her extensive career spanning over five decades.
The video, posted to her official Instagram account, features Parton seated in a cozy setting, dressed in casual attire with her signature blonde wig. “Well, hey, it’s Dolly here, and I want to wish all of you and your family blessings this Thanksgiving,” she begins. She continues by noting her ongoing recovery efforts, stating she is “working hard here” while adhering to medical advice.
Parton’s health updates trace back to September 2025, when she announced the postponement of her Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The original December dates shifted to September 2026 to accommodate required procedures at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. “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,” Parton wrote in an Instagram statement at the time.
Those procedures addressed complications from a kidney stone, a condition Parton has managed publicly before, including an episode in 2015. The recent flare-up forced her to miss key events, such as a September press conference at Dollywood for the park’s 40th anniversary and the unveiling of the Night Flight Expedition Ride. A hybrid roller coaster and water ride, the attraction incorporates advanced engineering with a 1,200-foot track and heights reaching 100 feet.
Further absences followed in November. Parton skipped the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 16th Governors Awards, where she was slated to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her philanthropy. The honor recognizes her contributions through the Dollywood Foundation, which has donated over $100 million to education and disaster relief since 1986. She also missed an in-person induction into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Hall of Fame on November 17 in Orlando, Florida. Instead, she delivered a prerecorded acceptance speech shared via Dollywood’s social media.
Family concerns amplified public worry in October 2025, when Parton’s sister, Freida Parton, posted online requesting prayers for her well-being. The message prompted speculation, leading Dolly to issue a clarifying video. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious,” Freida later explained on social media. Dolly reinforced the reassurance, saying, “I’m not ready to die yet. I ain’t done yet—I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done workin’.”
The Thanksgiving address arrives shortly after the June 2025 passing of Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, with whom she shared 57 years of marriage since their 1966 wedding. Dean, known for shunning the spotlight, died at age 82 following a period of illness that Parton described as protracted suffering. In a subsequent interview with Knox News, she reflected on the adjustment, stating, “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.”
Parton’s message closes with an emotional nod to her 1974 hit ‘Jolene.’ “Just know that I will always love you,” she says, quoting the song’s iconic line. The post garnered immediate responses from fans, with thousands expressing solidarity under the caption, “Wishing you and your family blessings this Thanksgiving.” Her appearance aligns with a pattern of virtual engagements, including a September prerecorded message for Dollywood’s anniversary crowd.
Despite setbacks, Parton maintains an active creative slate. Production continues on her Broadway musical ‘Dolly,’ following a January 2025 fireside chat in Nashville. The show adapts her catalog into a narrative centered on her early life in Sevier County, Tennessee. Additionally, she received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022 for initiatives like the Imagination Library, which has distributed 200 million books to children worldwide since 1995.
Parton’s approach to adversity underscores her career-long ethos of perseverance, evident in albums like 1980’s ‘9 to 5 and Odd Jobs,’ which sold 5 million copies. The video serves as both holiday greeting and health update, reinforcing her commitment to transparency with a global audience of over 100 million streams annually on platforms like Spotify.