<\/p>\n
Dolly Parton had planned to be at Dollywood for one of the park\u2019s biggest events of the year, but her doctor had other plans.<\/p>\n
The 80-year-old country icon missed the Aug. 14 dedication of NightFlight Expedition in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and instead appeared in a prerecorded video from Nashville. Parton explained that she was dealing with dehydration and had been advised not to travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated,\u201d Parton said, according to Just Jared<\/a>. She joked that her Nashville doctor had \u201cclipped my wings,\u201d telling her, \u201cYou ain\u2019t traveling this week.\u201d<\/p>\n Parton also offered reassurance amid the broader health issues that have affected several of her public appearances over the past year. She said \u201call is going well on the medical end of things\u201d and emphasized that she is continuing to work while following her doctor\u2019s advice.<\/p>\n Parton had expected to attend the NightFlight Expedition event in person and apologized for having to remain in Nashville. \u201cI\u2019m still in Nashville, and I\u2019m sorry about that,\u201d she said in the video. \u201cI was supposed to be in person, like we planned.\u201d<\/p>\n Playing off the butterfly imagery long associated with Dollywood, Parton said her \u201cbutterfly wings\u201d had been flapping through multiple planned opening dates for NightFlight Expedition before turning to her own health.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I\u2019m dehydrated, and so my Nashville doctor kind of clipped my wings, saying, \u2018You ain\u2019t traveling this week,’\u201d she said. \u201cAll is going well on the medical end of things,\u201d she told guests.<\/p>\n The latest absence follows a period in which Parton has repeatedly spoken about needing time to recover. In September 2025, she postponed her planned Las Vegas residency after saying doctors had advised her to undergo several medical procedures. The shows, originally scheduled for December 2025 and later moved to 2026, were ultimately canceled in May while she continued treatment.<\/p>\n That May, Parton said she was responding well to medication and treatment but still had healing to do. She also discussed her history of kidney stones and said her immune and digestive systems had become \u201cout of whack\u201d over the previous couple of years, according to Entertainment Weekly<\/a>.<\/p>\n NightFlight Expedition itself has intersected with those health setbacks before. Parton missed the attraction\u2019s September 2025 announcement at Dollywood after a kidney stone led to an infection and her doctor advised her not to travel.<\/p>\n She did return to Dollywood in person in March for the opening of the park\u2019s 41st season. At that appearance, Parton said her health issues and the grief following the March 2025 death of her husband, Carl Dean, had left her \u201cworn down and worn out.\u201d \u201cI just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically,\u201d she said at the time. \u201cBut, all is good. It didn\u2019t slow me down.\u201d<\/p>\nHer Doctor Told Her Not to Travel That Week<\/h2>\n
Parton Has Been Working Through Health Issues for Months<\/h2>\n
She Says the Health Setbacks Have Not Stopped Her From Working<\/h2>\n