Dolly Parton was unable to attend the dedication of Dollywood's new ride, NightFlight Expedition, on Friday because of ongoing 'health issues.' Instead, Dollywood President Eugene Naughton played a pre-recorded video message from Parton during the ceremony.
"Well, hey Eugene. I'm right here… Well, kind of. Sorta," Parton said in the video. "I'm still in Nashville, and I'm sorry about that. I was supposed to be there in person like I planned."
Parton explained that she had been feeling dizzy and dehydrated, and that her physician had ordered her to stay put. "My Nashville doctor has kinda clipped my wings, saying, 'You ain't traveling this week.' So I guess, if your doctor tells you, 'you ain't traveling this week,' you ain't traveling this week," she said.
This is not the first schedule change tied to Parton's health this year. In May, she canceled her Las Vegas residency, which had already been rescheduled once for September. Before that, she postponed six shows originally set for December 2025 at Caesars Palace, citing 'health challenges.'
Parton did deliver the keynote address at Dollywood in March during the park's 41st anniversary celebration, marking one of her first major public appearances since her health scare began.
Parton became a part-owner of the theme park in 1986, when it was renamed Dollywood in her honor. The Dollywood Company also runs a dinner theater, Dolly Parton's Stampede, the Dollywood's Splash Country waterpark, and the Dream More Resort and Spa. Situated in the Knoxville metropolitan area, Dollywood remains the largest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee.
Photo: Movieguide®, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
