Country music’s biggest stars are gearing up to celebrate Dolly Parton’s 80th birthday at the Grand Ole Opry, but the singer will unfortunately not be attending the festivities.
“Well, hey there, Grand Ole Opry family. I just wanted to say how much it means to me that you’re all coming together again this year to celebrate my big ole birthday with some of my songs,” Parton, 79, said in a video shared via the Grand Ole Opry’s official Instagram page on Wednesday, January 7. “Some of my favorite memories happened right here on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, and I wish I could be there in person, but I’ll be sending you all my love for sure. So you have the best night ever.”
The post also revealed that Lainey Wilson, Vince Gill and Rhonda Vincent will be performing at the Saturday, January 17, event. (Parton turns 80 on Monday, January 19.)
In a follow-up comment on the post, the venue’s account wrote, “While Dolly is unable to attend in person, we’re looking forward to honoring her through song and fun all day long, including:✨ Birthday party cupcakes when you take an Opry House daytime tour, ✨ A larger-than-life birthday card for fans to sign, ✨ Photo opps with a Dolly impersonator on the Opry plaza, ✨ Specialty Dolly-themed drinks and ✨ Dolly Parton tributes throughout the Opry show.”
UPDATE — 10/8/25, 3 a.m. ET: Dolly Parton’s sister Freida clarified her comments asking fans to pray for the singer in a new Facebook post late Tuesday, October 7. “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” Freida wrote. […]
News of Parton’s absence from the celebration came just months after she was forced to push back her Las Vegas residency amid health issues.
“I want the fans and public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts,” the “9 to 5” singer wrote via Instagram in September 2025. “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.”
“As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon! In all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see,” she continued. “While I’ll still be able to work on all of my projects from here in Nashville, I just need a little time to get show ready. And don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet. But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so l can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.”
Earlier that month, Parton missed a scheduled appearance at her Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, celebrating the Night Flight Expedition ride. She instead appeared virtually in a video message addressing her absence.
“Hello Dollywood! It’s me,” she told fans in the clip. “I know — and I’m here, and you’re there. And you’re wondering why that is? Well, I had a little problem. I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems, turned out it’d given me an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling right this minute, so you need a few days to get better.’ So, he suggested I not go to Dollywood today, but I’m there with you in spirit. I was looking so forward to it.”
Reba McEntire is singing Dolly Parton’s praises after the country music legend responded to a death hoax. “You tell ‘em, Dolly. All that AI mess has got us doing all kinds of crazy things,” McEntire, 70, shared via Instagram on Thursday, October 9. “You’re out there dying. I’m out here having a baby. Well both […]
In October 2025, Parton was the subject of a death hoax after an AI-generated image of the star showing pal Reba McEntire at her deathbed began circulating online. Parton, whose husband, Carl Thomas Dean died in March 2025, responded to the rumors.
“Back when my husband, Carl, was very sick, that was for a long time, and then when he passed I didn’t take care of myself, so I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of,” she explained. “When I got around to it, the doctor said we need to take care of this, we need to take care of that. Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home and closer to Vanderbilt [University Medical Center] where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there. But I wanted you to know that I’m not dying.”
“Did you see that AI picture of Reba and me? Ooh, Lordy. I mean, they had Reba at my deathbed. And we both looked like we needed to be buried,” Parton added. “But I thought, ‘Oh, my Lord, if I was really dying, I don’t think Reba would be the one at my deathbed.’ She might come visit me earlier, but anyway. … I don’t think God is through with me and I ain’t done working. So I love you for caring, and keep praying for me.”
