Everything We Know About Dolly Parton's 2025 Health Issues

According to reporting by Us Weekly, country music legend Dolly Parton has been dealing with some health issues. In September 2025, Parton was absent from an event at her theme park, Dollywood, which was set to celebrate the opening of the Night Flight Expedition Ride. However, in a pre-recorded message, she told her fans, "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." 

The petite songstress also postponed Las Vegas concerts scheduled for the month of December in order to have what she called a "few procedures." Seeking to reassure her followers, Parton took to her X account on October 8 to proclaim, "I ain't dead yet!", explaining that she was simply taking care of some health issues that she hadn't been able to address while her husband, Carl Dean, was sick. 

Most recently, the singer spoke to her fans via Instagram to explain her absence at her November induction into the IAAPA's Hall of Fame for her work with Dollywood. "I'm truly sorry I can't be there," she said, "but I sure wanted to take the chance to say thank you for this incredible honor."

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) describes kidney stones as being "hard" and "pebble-like." They can form in your kidneys, the organs that filter excess fluid and waste from your blood, when you have high levels of certain minerals in your urine. It's also important to know that your risk of kidney stones goes up if you are 50 or older. 

Kidney stones can range in size from as small as a grain of sand to, in some rare instances, as large as a golf ball. When they are tiny, they can exit the kidneys via your urine (here's how to pass a kidney stone quickly and help manage the pain). However, larger stones run the risk of getting stuck, which can block urine and cause flank pain or blood in the urine.

The NIDDK advises seeking medical assistance right away if you experience these symptoms in order to prevent problems such as a urinary tract infection (UTI) or kidney infection. They note that kidney stones don't generally cause lasting harm if they are treated promptly by a healthcare professional.

The American Kidney Fund says that a kidney infection, also known medically as "pyelonephritis," is caused by bacteria in your urinary tract. Signs of a kidney infection include lower back pain on one or both sides, chills, fever, nausea, blood or pus in the urine, and painful urination.

The organization further notes the seriousness of seeking help right away if you think you might have a kidney infection. Without treatment, your kidneys may become permanently damaged, or you might develop a blood infection (sepsis), which can be fatal.

The good news, however, is that a kidney infection can be cleared up with antibiotics. In fact, the American Kidney Fund notes that most people will start to feel better fairly quickly.

Kidney stones will generally pass on their own about 80% of the time, according to University Hospitals. However, if they aren't able to pass, urologists can use lasers or targeted shock waves to break stones into smaller pieces. Other treatment techniques include ureteroscopy, which involves inserting a thin scope into the urinary tract to find and treat stones; percutaneous nephrolithotomy, which involves making a small incision and removing the stones; and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, which breaks up the stones from outside the body. University Hospitals states that these approaches are all generally quite safe, with patients being able to go home the same day.