Country legend Dolly Parton breaks cover after serious health concerns

Dolly Parton has reassured fans after appearing looking fresh-faced and healthy via video link to receive an honorary Oscar on Sunday evening – after pulling out of the event in-person

Dolly had sparked concern after cancelling her appearance at the awards night

Dolly Parton delighted fans by appearing via video link, looking a million dollars, to accept an honorary Oscar – after sparking concern when she cancelled her Governors Awards appearance over health concerns. The 79-year-old singing star delivered an emotional speech virtually on Sunday at the Governors Award, which took place at The Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood, California as she accepted an honorary Oscar – The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The Tennessee native had sparked concern when she cancelled her in-person appearance at the glitzy awards due to mystery ‘health challenges’. But she managed to dazzle fans all the same with her heartfelt speech, wearing a sparkly beige dress and her trademark ‘big’ hair.

Dolly picked up her gong virtually (Image: Oscars/Youtube)

“From my heart to yours, I truly thank you,’ the singer began, after explaining how she valued the award she was being given. I grew up in a house with 12 kids. Now, that alone teaches you how important sharing is”, she said. “Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t have that much to share. But my mom and daddy showed me by example that the more you give, the more blessings come your way.”

The Jolene hitmaker said she’s ‘tried [her] whole life to live by their example ‘ and in turn, has ‘been blessed more than I ever dreamed possible’. She continued, “Like this award tonight – The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences. It’s an honor just to be considered, but to receive this? I mean, that’s a blessing of a lifetime – and I don’t take this kind of thing lightly.”

Dolly said that the honours made her ‘want to dream up new ways to help lift people up – and isn’t that what we’re supposed to be here for?’ She also had a special mention for her 9 to 5 co-star Lily Tomlin, who introduced her from the venue. ‘I want to thank my good buddy Lily Tomlin for presenting me with this award,’ she said. ‘Hi, Lily, I love you.

Back in October, the star clapped back at rumours that she was seriously ill, releasing a video, telling fans “I’m not dying”, a day after her sister asked for the public to ‘pray for her’. “I know lately everybody thinks that I’m sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard,” the musician said in the video posted on Instagram.

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The star said the honours have made her think about ‘new ways to lift people’(Image: Getty Images)

It came after her sister Freida apologised for scaring fans in her initial Facebook post about her famous sister’s health. The singer, 79, was recently forced to pull out of a Dollywood event after being diagnosed with a kidney stone. In her video, Parton thanked fans for their prayers, and explained that “I didn’t take care of myself” after her husband died earlier this year.

“So I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of,” she said. “So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctors said ‘we need to take care of this’ and ‘we need to take care of that’. Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things.”

Dolly wasn’t the only star to be presented with an honorary Oscar at the Governors Award. Mission Impossible legend Tom Cruise also picked up a gong at the ceremony, delivering a passionate speech about his deep love for Hollywood.

He gushed, “The cinema, it takes me around the world. ‘It helps me to appreciate and respect differences.It shows me also our shared humanity, how alike we are in so, so many ways.”

‘And no matter where we come from, in that theater, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together, and that is the power of this art form. And that is why it matters, that is why it matters to me.’