Dolly Parton Cancels Dollywood Appearance Due to Health Concerns
The 80-year-old singer announced she could not travel to Dollywood for a scheduled event after her doctor advised against it because of ongoing health issues.
Dolly Parton told fans she would not travel to Dollywood for the opening of the park’s new NightFlight Expedition roller coaster after a Nashville doctor ordered her to rest. The singer, who appeared in a virtual segment from Nashville, said she has been dealing with dizziness, dehydration and a recent infection that required a short recovery period.
Parton explained that the doctor “clipped my wings,” meaning she must avoid travel this week, and she wanted to keep her audience informed as promised. The Dollywood venue in Pigeon Forge is roughly three hours from Nashville.
Her last public appearance was at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop store in late June, where she seemed in good spirits. The current cancellation follows earlier health setbacks that began with kidney stones in September of the previous year and later led her to postpone a Las Vegas residency and cancel planned shows.
Despite the setbacks, Parton said she is responding well to medication and treatments and continues to work on a forthcoming Broadway musical, "Dolly: A True Original Musical," in which she will contribute but not perform.
"The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day," Parton said in a recent video.
The singer also recently mourned the death of her husband, Carl Dean, who passed away at age 82.