is often hailed as the Queen of Country music for her countless chart-topping tunes.
The 78-year-old musician first stepped into the music scene back in 1967 when she became a regular on The Porter Wagoner Show. In that same year, she released her first solo album, Hello, I’m Dolly which included her first number one hit Dumb Blonde.
Since then, the hitmaker has only gone from strength to strength with hits such as 9 to 5, Jolene, and I Will Always Love You and has sold more than 100million records worldwide, with 25 reaching top spot on the Billboard country music chart.
Despite not having children, the songstress has gone on to support her goddaughter and fellow musician Miley Cyrus throughout her career as she continues to delight viewers with new music.
But it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the hitmaker. Away from the stage, Parton has also suffered from various ailments that have put her body under “strain” and taken her mind to some “dark” places. Let’s take a look back at some of the Wildflowers singer’s health battles over the years.
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Dolly Parton has suffered from several health conditions throughout her career (Image: No credit)
In 2017, she opened up about her health issues in her biography Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with . In the tell-all book she revealed that she first became unwell when she turned 35.
She wroteL “I was getting away with murder. I wasn’t watching what I ate, I wasn’t conscious of nutrition, wasn’t taking care of myself.
“I was working hard, and underneath I was a pile of personal and emotional problems. All at once I fell apart. It was stomach problems and female problems – all over health problems actually.”
Further issues later emerged after Dolly became an international hit following the huge success of her hit song 9 to 5 and her debut with The Beast Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1980s.
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The singer battled with endometriosis in her thirties (Image: AP)
In 1984, Dolly’s health took a turn for the worse when she decided to ignore doctor’s advice and perform on stage despite suffering from intense stomach problems.
The singer then collapsed on stage in the heart of Indianapolis which led to serious internal bleeding before ultimately being diagnosed with endometrioses.
The NHS defines endometrioses as a condition where the tissue similar to the lining of th ewomb grows in other places, such as the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
After suffering from extreme abdominal pain and bleeding, the singer was forced to undergo two operations to avoid interal haemorrhaging.
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She battled with depression and binge eating (Image: AP)
At the age of 36, the singer underwent a partial hysterectormy which ended her chances of conceiving children naturally. John Hopkins Medicine notes that this surgery involves the removal of the uterus, leaving behind the cervix.
This sent Dolly spiralling into a deep depression, which saw the star bing eat, consume excessive alcohol, and even contemplate taking her own life.
Writing in her book, she confessed: “It was an awful time for me, Every day I thought, ‘I wish I had the nerve to kill myself’. Suddenly, I was a middle-aged woman. I went through a dark time, until I made myself snap out of it.”
The tragic events led to Dolly quickly gaining 50lbs, as she admitted she would eat three pizzas but still crave McDonalds and french fries.
This soon developed into an unhealthy eating pattern, as she admitted: “On top of being medicated, Dietin’ Dolly would go on liquid protien, Scarsdale, Atkins, the water diet, then I’d binge, diet, gain, start all over again.
“Eventually, my systen wouldn’t work anymore. My body couldn’t hold up under that strain. Overeating is as much a sickness as drugs or alcohol.”
The musician has since turned a corner and has maintained a healthy diet and exercise regime which has allowed her to continue to keep performing her number one hits for millions of fans across the world.