Celebrity

Dolly Parton Suffers Health Issue, Misses Dollywood Event

Dolly Parton was unexpectedly missing from the latest Dollywood event.

As her amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, announced its new ride titled Night Flight Expedition, the 79-year-old country singer was curiously absent from the reveal. However, she did film a video for her fans explaining that a health issue had kept her from attending.

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“Hello Dollywood! Itโ€™s me,” she said. “I knowโ€”and Iโ€™m here, and youโ€™re there. And youโ€™re wondering why that is? Well, I had a little problem.”

Parton went on to explain that she’d been having a kidney issue.

“I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems, turned out itโ€™d given me an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You donโ€™t need to be traveling right this minute, so you need a few days to get better,’” she said. “So, he suggested I not go to Dollywood today, but Iโ€™m there with you in spirit… I was looking so forward to it.”

The new ride will open at Dollywood next year, teasing a theme park experience that has never been done before, promising “four thrilling adventures in one attraction,” with a video showing a roller coaster that seems to somehow transition into a water ride.

“What happens in the Smoky Mountains after the sun goes down? Soar, plunge, climb and navigate the first ride of its kind in the world,” said a post on the park’s official Instagram page.