In the year since the death of Carl Dean, her famously out-of-the-spotlight but continually supportive husband of nearly 60 years, Dolly Parton had been navigating a number of health issues.
That led her to postpone, and then eventually cancel, her Las Vegas residency.
In a lengthy video posted a few months ago, Parton used her signature wit to assure fans her health conditions were treatable and that she hoped to be “up to snuff” soon, as the Deseret News reported.
She possessed that same optimism in her health update to People magazine on Aug. 21.
“Even though I’m still healin,’ I’m still workin’!” she said. “You know me — as I’ve often said — I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”
The country music superstar died four days later.
As the world mourns the death of Parton, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80, fans can take comfort in her extensive catalog of songs and the many tributes online celebrating her warmth and wit.
But since Parton was actively working all the way up to her death, fans will also still be able to hear and learn from the legendary singer-songwriter — including through a new Broadway musical that will soon make its debut.
Dolly Parton’s Broadway musical is still a go
One of Parton’s biggest dreams was to launch a Broadway musical about her life — she’d been talking about it since at least 2016, per The New York Times.
“All my spare time, I’m spending on that,” Parton told USA Today in a 2023 interview. “That’s been a dream of mine for years and years — at least 20 years I’ve been trying to put that together.”
After delays and name changes — and a successful run in Nashville last year — Parton finally announced in July that “Dolly: A True Original Musical” would be heading to Broadway.
She called it “a dream come true.”
“Just like the title says, I mean ‘true’ in every sense of the word,” she said in a video message. “Now this isn’t about a story about sparkle and shine on the outside — it’s about where I really come from, what I’ve lived, what I’ve lost, what I’ve loved and how I found my way.”
Parton was a lead producer on the musical, co-wrote the book and also wrote new music for the production.
She won’t see it come to life on the Broadway stage, but per her wishes, the show will go on.
“Dolly: A True Original Musical” will begin preview performances on Dec. 7 at the St. James Theatre. The musical will have its official opening night on Jan. 19 — which would’ve marked the singer’s 81st birthday.
“My whole life has been a musical. A grand ole opera, really, and I can’t wait to present it to you on Broadway,” she said in a statement on the musical’s website. “I hope you enjoy watching as much as I’ve enjoyed livin’ it.”
The musical comes about 15 years after Parton made her Broadway debut as a composer for the stage adaptation of “9 to 5,” which earned her a Tony nomination for best score, per The New York Times.
Dolly Parton will release her final song in 2046
The Broadway musical isn’t the last fans will hear from Parton.
The singer’s team has revealed that Parton had a lot in the works at the time of her death — and they plan to bring them to life.
“Ever the planner, Dolly worked with the team that she handpicked, for the past several years to build a project roadmap that will guide us for decades to come,” her longtime manager Danny Nozell said in a statement to Deadline.
Some of Parton’s other projects include a Parton musical documentary, a biopic, docuseries and scripted series.
“If you see unreleased music, products, books, experiences, and campaigns launched through official Dolly Parton channels, you can have confidence in knowing that she placed her personal stamp on it,” Nozell said.
Parton also wrote a song over a decade ago that has been stored in a chestnut box at Dollywood’s DreamMore resort in Tennessee, per The Washington Post.
The song, called “My Place in History,” will remain sealed until Jan. 19, 2046 — which would’ve been Parton’s 100th birthday.