By Alastair James
Copyright thepinknews
Dolly Parton’s Oscar is going to have to come to her as the legendary singer is unable to attend an awards ceremony herself.
Earlier this week the “9 to 5” singer, 79, announced she was postponing planned performances in Las Vegas due to “health challenges.” In a lengthy statement on Sunday (28 September) the LGBTQ+ ally said she needed “a few procedures” and would not have time to get the show ready ahead of its 4 December opening. The shows are now scheduled for September 2026.
On Tuesday (30 September) it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Parton would also be missing the annual Governors Awards in Los Angeles in November. The “Jolene” singer is due to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary Academy Award, for her humanitarian work.
Parton was announced as a recipient of the award in June, alongside Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen, and Wynn Thomas. The special awards are given “to honour extraordinary distinction in life-time achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or outstanding service to the academy.”
Parton “exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts”, Janet Yang, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said at the time.
The award would be Parton’s first Oscar. She was first nominated for one for best original song in 1981 for the theme tune of 9 to 5. She was nominated again in 2006 for the song “Travelin’ Thru” from Transamerica, a film about a transgender woman, played by Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman, who goes on a road trip to reunite with her long-lost son.
Parton also set up the Dollywood Foundation in 1988, which champions education initiatives in East Tennessee.
She’s also long been one of the LGBTQ+ community’s biggest allies. And she donated $1 million (approximately £780,000 at the time) to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which helped develop the Moderna vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her statement from Sunday, Parton sought to assuage concerns about her health saying, “Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet.”
She added, “You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you. 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, as they say.”
In March, Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, died after being “ill for quite a while”.
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