Dolly Parton, the legendary singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist, will not attend this year’s Governors Awards in November, where she was set to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Variety has confirmed.
On Sunday, the country icon announced that she is postponing her December concert dates at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas — her first residency in the city in 32 years — citing health issues and revealing that doctors have advised her to undergo “a few procedures.”
In a statement posted to social media, Parton, 79, said the recovery time will prevent her from properly preparing for the Las Vegas performances. She emphasized her desire to be in top form when she returns to the stage. The postponed concerts have been rescheduled for September 2026.
The health issues apparently also mean that Parton will not appear at the 16th annual Governors Awards ceremony, which is scheduled for Nov. 17 in Los Angeles. She had originally planned to attend the event virtually from Nashville.
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award — which comes with an Oscar statuette — is presented to “an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities.”
Parton was announced in June as one of four recipients of this year’s Governors Awards, alongside actor and producer Tom Cruise, choreographer and actress Debbie Allen, and production designer Wynn Thomas.
In addition to being one of the most celebrated figures in country music history — with more than 100 million records sold and 49 studio albums — Parton is widely recognized for her philanthropic contributions. Her Dollywood Foundation, launched in 1988, supports education in her native East Tennessee. Since its founding in 1995, her Imagination Library literacy program has distributed more than 285 million books to children around the world.
This year has been marked by personal loss for Parton as well. Her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died in March at age 82.
The Academy has previously experienced similar situations at the Governors Awards where recipients have been unable to attend the ceremony. Some of those include Jean-Luc Godard, James Earl Jones, Debbie Reynolds and, most recently, Quincy Jones, who died days before last year’s event.
Parton is a two-time Academy Award nominee for original song, for “Nine to Five” from the 1980 comedy “9 to 5” and “Travelin’ Thru” from the 2005 drama “Transamerica.”
Despite her absence from this year’s ceremony, Parton’s enduring legacy as both an entertainer and humanitarian will be well celebrated and continues to earn her recognition across the industry.
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