Credit: Inside the MagicDolly Parton has issued a new update on her health after recently skipping a Dollywood event.
Parton, who has co-owned Dollywood with Herschend since 1986, missed a scheduled appearance at the Pigeon Forge theme park earlier this month. The country singer was set to celebrate the opening of NightFlight Expedition, but instead sent a video in which she confessed that doctors had suggested she not attend.
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The Jolene and I Will Always Love You singer apologized for missing the park appearance, explaining that she sometimes feels “a little dizzy” and can become dehydrated. She joked that her doctor had “kind of clipped my wings” and told her not to travel that week: “You ain’t travelin’ this week, you ain’t travelin’ this week.”
Now, Parton is revealing more information about her condition.
@walruscarp Dolly Parton’s Speech for NightFlight Expedition with great news about her health. She was missed but thank you Miss Dolly for such a great park and new attraction! #dollyparton #dollywood #dollywoodthemepark #nightflightexpedition #pigeonforge
Dolly Parton Shares New Health Information
Parton spoke to PEOPLE about currently going through some “hard times with my health.”
She added that she was “dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” referring to her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who died last 2025 at the age of 82.
While the singer didn’t share any specifics of her current condition, she did reveal that it’s not the first time she’s had to step back to deal with her health.
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“It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” she says. “But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’.”
Parton admitted that she believes her traditional touring days are behind her, but that she’s in the early stages of development for “avatar performances,” presumably similar to those of ABBA Voyage in London.
The singer also shared her excitement for her brand-new museum, Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum, in Nashville. Described as the “largest exhibit celebrating her life anywhere in the world,” it “invites fans to experience Dolly’s expansive career and most personal memories through the eyes of Dolly herself.”
What Does the Future Hold for Dolly Parton’s Involvement With Dollywood?
While Parton has been actively involved in events in the past, she’s stepped back from making as many public appearances as of late.
Parton was due at Dollywood for the official reveal of plans for NightFlight Expedition in September 2025, but appeared by prerecorded video instead. She explained that a kidney stone had caused an infection, and her doctor advised her not to travel (via PEOPLE).
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Beyond Dollywood, Parton did not attend in person to receive the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in November 2025. That same month, she skipped her IAAPA Hall of Fame induction in Orlando and axed her planned Dolly: Live in Las Vegas residency. Originally scheduled for December 2025 before being pushed back to September 2026, the 80-year-old country icon ultimately axed the six-show run as she continued undergoing medical treatment and recovery.
Just five days after missing the NightFlight Expedition dedication ceremony, Parton also did not attend the ACM Honors in Nashville in person to receive the Poet’s Award. Again, she instead accepted virtually.
However, Parton hasn’t been totally amiss from the spotlight. In June, she made an appearance at the opening of the first Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop.
And in March, Parton appeared in person at Dollywood, spoke to season passholders and media, and discussed NightFlight Expedition. It was described at the time as her first public appearance in months.
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For now, there is no indication that Parton plans to step away from Dollywood altogether. It’s also unclear whether she will publicly mark the September opening of her upcoming hotel, Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel, in Nashville. While her health has clearly limited some recent appearances, she has remained involved with the park and its future, even when that involvement has had to happen remotely.
Parton’s presence at the park is most evident at the Dolly Parton Experience, which explores her life and career through the Songteller exhibit, the fashion exhibit Behind the Seams, and the family-focused Precious Memories. The area also includes Dolly’s former tour bus and a dedicated fan shop packed with Parton merchandise.
Elsewhere, guests can tour Dolly’s Tennessee Mountain Home, a two-room replica of her childhood home on Locust Ridge. Dollywood also hosts Heartsong, a multisensory film narrated by Parton, while DreamSong regularly features members of her family performing her music.
What’s your favorite part of Dollywood?
