Dolly Parton cancelled her Dollywood appearance due to kidney stones and doctor's advice. Photo / Getty Images
Dolly Parton cancelled her Dollywood appearance due to kidney stones and doctor's advice. Photo / Getty Images
Dolly Parton cancelled a planned appearance at Dollywood on Thursday after kidney stones trouble.
The country music icon, 79, was due to be at the launch of the all-new Night Flight Expedition ride in 2026 at her theme park in Tennessee, but on doctor’s orders she stayed home.
In avideo message shown at the event, she said: “Hello Dollywood! It’s me.”
“I know – and I’m here, and you’re there. And you’re wondering why that is? Well, I had a little problem. I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems, turned out it’d given me an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be travelling right this minute, so you need a few days to get better.’”
Reassuring fans she’ll be just fine, she continued: “He suggested I not go to Dollywood today, but I’m there with you in spirit. I was looking so forward to it. Don’t worry about me, I’m gonna be okay. Just can’t do it today.”
She recently told the Independent: “I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to see him again some day.
“And I see him every day in my memories and in my heart, and in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we’ve built together. You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans but that’s the hardest part.”
Parton has felt lonely since losing her husband but is relieved he’s “not suffering any more” after being ill “for quite a while”.
She shared: “I really feel his presence. I just try to go on, because I know I have to. And he was ill for quite a while, and part of me was at peace that he was at peace and not suffering any more. But that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it.”
