Dolly Parton, 80, was forced to pull out of an in-person fan event at Dollywood after experiencing dizziness and dehydration. The country music legend made a virtual appearance instead, explaining that her Nashville doctor advised against travel.
Virtual Appearance at Dollywood
Parton had been scheduled to attend the grand opening of the NightFlight Expedition attraction at the Tennessee-based theme park. Instead, she told the crowd from home that she was on doctor's orders not to travel.
'I'm supposed to be there in person, like we planned. Now I've told you before, all my fans, that I have had a few little health issues. And sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated. And I'm dehydrated. And so my Nashville doctor clipped my wings, saying you ain't travelling this week,' she explained, wearing a pair of fairy wings on her back.
'So I guess if your doctor tells you you ain't travelling this week, you ain't travelling this week,' she concluded.
Ongoing Health Struggles
Parton has been dealing with health issues publicly since last September and has regularly stepped back from the spotlight to recover, leading to the cancellation of various concerts and events. In May, she cancelled her Las Vegas residency after first postponing it in September last year, explaining she still 'has some healing to do'.
Appearing on social media, she told fans: 'First it's concerning my health and I have some good news and a little bad news. The good news is I'm responding really well to meds and treatments and I'm improving every day. Bad news is it's gonna take me a little while before I'm up to stage performance level because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy-headed as my grandma used to say. Of course I can't be dizzy, carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five-inch heels. And you know that I'm gonna be wearing them!'
She reassured fans that she is 'improving everyday'. 'I'm doing really well, and they assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I'm going with that, and I just want you to know I thank you for standing by me and that I will always love you,' she said at the time.
Previous Cancellations
This is not the first time she has had to cancel a Dollywood appearance. In September last year, she pulled out of an event after getting a 'kidney stone' which was causing her 'lots of problems'.
'Turns out there was an infection and the doctor said, "You don't need to be travelling around this minute. You need a few days to get better,' she shared with her followers.
