Dolly Parton has addressed concerns for her health after it was reported she will not attend a major upcoming award ceremony where she’s set to be honoured.
It comes after the 79-year-old music icon postponed her Las Vegas residency due to reported ‘health challenges’.
The country music legend will not attend the 16th Governor Awards in Hollywood, California on November 16.
Parton was set to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ board of governors.
However, Parton’s representative has now addressed her absence and debunked reports it relates to her prior health issues.
‘We told Governors Awards/Academy in June she could not attend due to a scheduling conflict when they first approached us,’ Parton’s publicist Marcel Pariseau told USA Today.
She will instead deliver her acceptance speech remotely from Nashville, when she is given an honorary Oscar alongside the likes of Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas.
Parton is not the first Governors Award honoree to be unable to attend the ceremony, with others including John Calley, Jean-Luc Godard, Debbie Reynolds and Quincy Jones, who was set to be honoured just days after his death at 91 last year.
But Parton’s absence comes days after she shared a statement with fans confirming she had to postpone her Las Vegas residency due to health issues.
In addition to that, the 9 to 5 songstress recently pulled out of an appearance at her Dollywood theme park due to a kidney stone ‘causing [her] problems’.
The singer has since said she is suffering from more health issues and must undergo ‘a few procedures’.
The I Will Always Love You hitmaker wrote on Instagram: ‘I want the fans and public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts.
‘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.’
Maintaining her usual comedic streak, Dolly added: ‘As I joked with them, it must be for my 1,000-mile check-up, although it’s not my usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!’
Metro contacted Dolly Parton’s representative for further comment.