Dolly Parton"ain't done" working anytime soon.
The "Jolene" hitmaker, 80, gave fans a health update at a keynote address during the opening day of her Tennessee theme park,Dollywood.
"I've been missing you," she told fans on March 13, according tofootage of the speechfrom local news outlet WVLT. Amid the park's 41st season, Parton said she'd "been up to a lot," including writing new songs for her upcoming Broadway musical.
"I have been not touring, as you know. I've had a few little health issues and we're taking good care of them," Parton says. "I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on. I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally and physically. But all is good. It didn't slow me down."
Tennessee declared Jan. 19, 2026, "Dolly Parton Day" in honor of the country music icon's 80th birthday. Revisit her legendary career dating back to the 1960s, starting with her performance of "Don't Try to Cry" in the RCA Records show during the D.J. Convention on Oct. 21, 1967, at Municipal Auditorium." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Porter Wagoner, left, and Dolly Parton walk on stage to accept their vocal group of the year award during the second CMA Awards at the Ryman Auditorium on Oct. 18, 1968. Presenter Chet Atkins, right, waits on the duo." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Presenters Dolly Parton, left, and Porter Wagoner, also a nominee, arrive for the Grammy Awards at the National Guard Armory in Nashville on March 12, 1969." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs while taping "The Porter Wagoner Show" at the WSM-TV studios on Sept. 2, 1970." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
As Dottie West, fourth from right, sings "Born to be a Country Girl" during the WSM Luncheon and Spectacular at the Municipal Auditorium on Oct. 15, 1970, all the other Grand Ole Opry female singers file out to help her: Loretta Lynn, from left, Skeeter Davis, Mrs. Ben Smathers, Dolly Parton, Jeannie Seely, Margie Bowes, Del Wood, Minnie Pearl, Marion Worth and Jean Shepard." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Porter Wagoner, left, and Dolly Parton arrive for the CMA Awards banquet at Municipal Auditorium on Oct. 16, 1970." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Nominees Dolly Parton, left, and Porter Wagoner enjoy their dinner for the 13th Grammy Awards during the Nashville NARAS award banquet at Municipal Auditorium on March 16, 1971. The Grammys were held simultaneously in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles, all telecast live on ABC." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, center, speak to the audience after winning duet group of the year during the CMA Awards at the Ryman Auditorium on Oct. 10, 1971. Looking on are presenters Roy Clark, left, and Merle Haggard." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Lynn Anderson, left, Barbara Mandrell and Dolly Parton appear proud to see their names among the Walkway of Stars during ceremonies on May 5, 1972, at the Country Music Hall of Fame. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs for a packed audience during the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium on July 21, 1973." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton primps in her backstage dressing room for the RCA Records breakfast and show at Municipal Auditorium on Oct. 20, 1973. The event is part of the 48th Grand Ole Opry birthday celebration." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Porter Wagoner, left, and Dolly Parton announced on Feb. 19, 1974, at Wagoner's Music Row office, that they would no longer be a team. Wagoner is looking for a replacement for his TV and road show, while Parton is looking for her own band." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Paul McCartney, left, and his family chat with Dolly Parton, second from right, and Porter Wagoner backstage during the third annual Grand Masters Fiddling contest at Opryland on June 16, 1974. McCartney's wife, Linda, and daughters Heather, 11, and Stella, 4, also enjoyed the music at the event." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs solo during the 8th annual CMA Awards show on Oct. 14, 1974." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton speaks to the audience after winning female vocalist of the year during the CMA Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House on Oct. 13, 1975." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, right, makes her entrance while taping "The Grand Ole Opry at 50, A Nashville Celebration" at Grand Ole Opry House on Oct. 23, 1975. Cheering Dolly on is Emmylou Harris, left, and Barbara Mandrell." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs during the CMA Awards from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry House on Oct. 11, 1976." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton brings out her banjo during the CMA Awards on Oct. 11, 1976." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, left, gets a kiss from presenter Mac Davis after she won female vocalist of the year during the CMA Awards on Oct. 11, 1976." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton accepts entertainer of the year during the CMA Awards on Oct. 9, 1978. She's flanked by presenters Johnny Cash, left, and Ronnie Milsap." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Carol Burnett and Dolly Parton perform a mock-melodramatic love song skit during the taping of the "Dolly and Carol in Nashville" TV special before a packed audience at the Grand Ole Opry House on Jan. 10, 1979." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Presenters Dolly Parton, left, and Barbara Mandrell react after naming George Jones as male vocalist of the year during the 14th annual CMA Awards show at the Grand Ole Opry House on Oct. 13, 1980. But Jones wasn't there because he was performing in Sparks, Nevada." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, left, and Kenny Rogers are all smiles on Oct. 8, 1984, as they discuss plans for an upcoming Christmas special, the release of a duet Christmas album and a joint tour to begin New Year's Eve. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, left, Janie Fricke, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty conclude a segment of the fan-voted Music City News Awards celebrating the annual event's 20th anniversary on June 9, 1986." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Linda Ronstadt, left, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton are perform during the CMA Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House on Oct. 13, 1986." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs "Applejack" for the crowd at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro on Nov. 1, 1986. She was co-billed with Kenny Rogers, along with newcomer T. Graham Brown." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Host Dolly Parton, center, has other stars join her during her hand-clapping country anthem to start the 22nd CMA Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House on Oct. 10, 1988." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton and the Christ Church Choir bring the audience to its feet with "He's Alive" during the 21st Dove Awards at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Jackson Hall in Nashville on April 5, 1990." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs "Eagle When She Flies" during the 25th CMA Awards show at the Grand Ole Opry House on Oct. 2, 1991." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, second from right, performs with Emmylou Harris, left, Kenny Rogers, and Willie Nelson during the taping of "A Country Music Celebration" honoring the CMA's 35th anniversary at the Grand Ole Opry House on Jan. 13, 1993. Dolly was honored with a tribute segment." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs as she courts tour group business for Dollywood at the American Bus Marketplace '97, a motor coach industry convention at Opryland Hotel on Dec. 9, 1997." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton sings "Shine On," which she wrote several months earlier, during the memorial service for the first lady of country music, Tammy Wynette, at the Ryman Auditorium on April 9, 1998. Parton sang one emotionally charged chorus of "I Will Always Love You" during the song." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Second camera assistant Beth Horton, left, marks another take as Dolly Parton gets into the mood of the scene while filming "The Blue Valley Songbird" in Bethel, Tennessee, on July 28, 1999." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, filling in for Patty Loveless, who was out of town, and host Vince Gill performs his and Loveless' "My Kind of Woman, My Kind of Man" during the 33rd CMA Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House on Sept. 22, 1999." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, left, and Brad Paisley share the stage during their rehearsal session on Feb. 20, 2001, in preparation for the Grammy Awards. The pair both performed and presented an award together." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, right, takes the first ride in her new wooden roller coaster Thunderhead at Dollywood on April 6, 2004." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, left, presents video of the year to Toby Keith during the CMT Flame Worthy Awards show at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville on April 21, 2004." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Pardon sings "I Will Always Love You" during the CMT 100 Greatest Love Songs concert at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville on June 9, 2004." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Elton John, left, and Dolly Parton perform together during the CMA Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 15, 2005." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on Sept. 15, 2006." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton poses for photographers at her star during the Music City Walk of Fame induction ceremony in downtown Nashville on Nov. 8, 2009." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs during the 85th birthday celebration of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Oct. 9, 2010." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs during Dollywood's 30th anniversary celebration at the park in Sevierville, Tennessee, on March 20, 2015." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton, right, accepts the Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award as Brad Paisley looks on during the 11th Academy of Country Music Honors at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Aug. 23, 2017." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs at her 50th Grand Ole Opry membership anniversary at the Opry House on Oct. 12, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Hosts Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton perform together during the 53rd CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 13, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Kelsea Ballerini, left, and Dolly Parton perform together during the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on March 7, 2022." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton performs during the 58th ACM Awards at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on May 11, 2023." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton stands for photos before the premiere of "Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs in Symphony" at Nashville Symphony Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville on March 20, 2025." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton arrives for "Dolly: A True Original Musical" at Belmont University's The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville on Aug. 8, 2025." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dolly Parton offers a video remembrance during Jeannie Seely's 5,398th Opry Show: A Celebration of Life for "Miss Country Soul" at Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Aug. 14, 2025. Seely died on Aug. 1, 2025." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> See Dolly Parton's journey from humble beginnings to global fame
Tennessee declared Jan. 19, 2026, "Dolly Parton Day" in honor ofthe country music icon's 80th birthday. Revisit her legendary career dating back to the 1960s, starting with her performance of "Don't Try to Cry" in the RCA Records show during the D.J. Convention on Oct. 21, 1967, at Municipal Auditorium.
Despite health issues, Dolly Parton is keeping busy
Parton had good reason to assure fans. In September, when shepostponed her Las Vegas concertsdue to "a few procedures," hersister's call for prayerssparked concern about the severity of her health challenges. Parton quipped back on social media:"I ain't dead yet!"
Addressing fans in an Oct. 8 video on Instagram, Parton clarified she is doing "OK" but has "some problems" to deal with and needs to have a "few treatments." Parton later told fans that afterher husband died earlier this year, she "didn't take care of" herself and "let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of." In November, Parton was inducted into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions' Hall of Fame, but wasnot able to attenddue to health issues.
Parton turned 80 on Jan. 19. Country's biggest names turned out toshare stories and celebrate, includingLainey Wilsonand Keith Urban. But the singer herself adopted a laissez-faire attitude toward the milestone.
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"Everybody says, 'Well, you're going to be 80 years old.' Well, so what?" shetold Peoplein an interview. "Look at all I've done in 80 years. I feel like I'm just getting started."
The "9 to 5" songstress continued: "I know that sounds stupid, but I think there's a lot to be said about age. 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. That's not what I'm thinking about."
Parton remains busy expanding her musical, "Dolly: A True Original Musical," for Broadway stages this year. She told fans she's writing new songs and rewriting existing ones.
Dolly Parton shuts down dating rumors: 'Carl Dean is waiting for me on the other side'
Parton was also quick to clear any dating rumors, including those involving her onstage companion, Dollywood President Eugene Naughton. Carl Dean Thomas, Parton's husband of over 60 years,died at age 82in March 2025.
"I know there's a lot of rumors going around, but I did not marry Sylvester Stallone and I'm not dating anybody. I'm not married. I don't think I'll ever be married but once." Parton said. "I think Carl Dean is waiting for me on the other side. If I should show up at the pearly gates with somebody else, he would not like that. He'd be saying 'Who's that little pisser?'"
Contributing: KiMi Robinson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Dolly Parton says she's 'taking good care' of health issues